Dutch politicians have been holding hands in public as a gesture to show their support for a gay couple that was attacked by a group of teenagers recently. Lawmakers from the D66 party Alexander Pechtold and Wouter Koolmees walked hand in hand into a government meeting to discuss the formation of a new Dutch government. The politicians resolved to protest against homophobic violence, reported Dutch News. “We think it is quite normal in the Netherlands to express who you are,” Pechtold told the news outlet.

On Twitter, journalist Barbara Berend had urged all men to hold hands in public to stand up in support of the couple that was thrashed in Arnhem on Sunday. A group of six to eight boys had attacked the two men after spotting them walking by holding hands. While the police arrested two of them, four others surrendered on Monday.

Other Dutch politicians who showed their support were Labour leader Lodewijk Asscher, who went for a walk with caretaker Finance Minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem. Citizens, as well as policemen, responded to the call enthusiastically and shared pictures of themselves holding hands.

Ronnie Sewratan-Vernes – one of the two who was beaten up on Sunday – has expressed his gratitude for the show of solidarity. “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,” the 31-year-old told Dutch public broadcasting company NOS.