Dutch protests against attack on gay couple holding hands

Protests have been held across the Netherlands in support 
for a gay couple who were attacked last week, allegedly for holding hands.

Rallies took place in Arnhem, the city where the incident
 took place, as well as Eindhoven and The Hague.

About 2,500 protesters showed up in Arnhem - many
 waving rainbow flags.

One of the men, Jasper Vernes-Sewratan, thanked the protesters and said "You have pulled us through this terrible week", AFP news agency reports.

His partner Ronnie Sewratan-Vernes, who lost teeth in the attack when he was assaulted with a bolt cutter, was
 in tears during the rally, AFP added.

After their story emerged, Dutch men began uploading pictures of themselves holding hands on to social media to stand against homophobia.

The images were shared via the hashtags #handinhand 
and #allemannenhandinhand (all men hand in hand).

Five teenagers handed themselves in to police after the 
attack, and appeared in court on Thursday, reports say.