Straight male politicians are holding hands in public to show solidarity after violent homophobic attack
Straight Dutch politicians are sending a message after a homophobic attack by holding hands in public.
Politicians in the Netherlands made the gesture after two gay teens were attacked in Arnhem for holding hands.
Gay couple Jasper Vernes-Sewratan and Ronnie Sewratan-Vernes were set upon by a group of thugs over the weekend, while returning home from a night out.
The attackers screamed homophobic abuse before launching a violent attack on the couple that hospitalised the both. A 14-year-old boy was among the men arrested over the attack.
Following the shocking violent incident, politicians in the country are showing solidarity by holding hands in public.
Lodewijk Asscher, the country’s Deputy Prime Minister and leader of the Labor Party made a stand as part of the campaign, posting a photo to Twitter.
Alexander Pechtold, leader of the Democrats 66 party, also joined in, posting a photo to Twitter in which he is holding hands with party member Wouter Koolmees.
The leader wrote: “Stop violence against gay people. #allemannenhandinhand”
The staff of the Dutch mission at the United Nations in New York also joined in, with men holding hands on the way to a protest against homophobia.
Police officers in the country also got in on the movement.
The King of the Netherlands recently made a historic visit to a Dutch LGBT rights group.
King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, who ascended to the throne in 2013, met with activists from COC Netherlands, a Dutch advocacy group for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.
The visit, thought to be the first time the acting monarch has made a visit to an LGBT group, came as COC celebrated its 70th anniversary.
His wife, Queen Máxima has attended LGBT rights conference in the past.
The Netherlands has long been a progressive beacon, becoming the first country in the world to legalise same-sex marriage in 2001.
