Dutch male politicians, police and diplomats have taken to streets around the world holding hands this week in a very public show of support after a brutal attack on a gay couple.
Pictures of men walking around hand-in-hand from the Netherlands to London and New York have gone viral under the hashtag #allemannenhandinhand (or “all men hand-in-hand”) on social media.
The move came after Jasper Vernes-Sewratan, 35, and Ronnie Sewratan-Vernes, 31, were attacked on their way home early on Sunday in the eastern city of Arnhem. One of them lost several teeth and got a bloody lip after being attacked with a bolt-cutter.
Five teenagers, two 14-year-olds and three aged 16, were on Thursday due to appear before magistrates, after handing themselves in following the attack, Dutch prosecutors said.
It is believed all five took part in “very serious offences,” the prosecution service said in a statement, adding they faced charges of grievous bodily harm. “We don’t usually do that, holding hands in public,” Sewratan-Vernes said.
