Five teenagers in Arnhem are to face charges for attacking a gay couple in the city in April, the public prosecution department has confirmed.

Three of the youths are 16, one is 15 and one 14. They will appear in a juvenile court in December and the department is still finalising the charges each individual will face.

One of the victims, Ronnie Sewratan-Vernes, 31, told NOS at the time: ‘We don’t usually do that, holding hands in public, for the very reason that we don’t want to provoke people. But we’d had a nice evening, it was late and we thought we were alone. And then suddenly there was a group of six to eight Moroccan youths. Before I knew it I was on the ground fighting with three men on top of me.’

The attack on the gay couple led to a storm of protest in the Dutch media with calls for men to walk hand in hand as a sign of solidarity.

The leading Dutch gay rights organisation, the COC, called for the new coalition to take measures, including tougher prison sentences, to tackle the rising frequency of homophobic attacks.

Meanwhile, two Amsterdammers aged 23 and 27 and a 25-year-old man from The Hague have been arrested in connection with an attack on two gay men on the Damrak in central Amsterdam in June.

They face charges of attempted murder and will appear in court for a remand hearing on Friday. A fourth man is still being sought by police.