Men across the Netherlands are joining together to hold hands in solidarity with a gay couple who were brutally attacked.
Early Sunday morning, a group of six to eight men spotted Jasper Vernes-Sewratan and Ronnie Sewratan-Vernes holding hands in Arnhem, in the eastern part of the Netherlands.
The couple were walking home after a party when the group approached them and began shouting offensive slurs.
The couple was then bashed with a pair of bolt cutters. Ronnie lost four teeth and severed his lip, while Jasper’s injuries spanned his back, chest, ribs and legs.
The Netherlands, the first country to legalise same-sex marriage back in 2001, is outraged. Prime Minister Mark Rutte described the attack as “terrible”.
But when two leading politicians arrived at The Hague on Monday holding hands, something strange happened.
“We think it is quite normal in the Netherlands to express who you are,” Alexander Pechtold, leader of the liberal D66 party, told awaiting media.
Proud of @APechtold @D66 for leading by example. We want a country where men can safely walk hand in hand #allemannenhandinhand pic.twitter.com/Srx9RGqmio
— Lousewies v d Laan (@LousewiesvdLaan) April 3, 2017
The public display sparked a social trend that has seen men from all walks of life doing the same. After the hashtag #allemannenhandinhand went viral, it’s grown beyond The Netherlands.
Colleagues of @NLatUN in New York protest against homophobia by holding hands #allemannenhandinhand pic.twitter.com/OPeyndit7U
— Sandra Pellegrom (@SandraPellegrom) April 3, 2017
Now that’s what we call real men.
Three teenagers, two aged 14 and one 16-year-old, along with a 20-year-old man, have been arrested in connection with the assault.
This article was originally published in news.com.au
