LGBT activists physically attack Dutch Christians protesting erotic ads

You’d think that a manufacturer of men’s business suits would favor a conservative image, but not Holland’s Suitsupply.

The clothing manufacturer angered many families in the Netherlands with its sexually-explicit advertising, which appears on posters and billboards. In the past, the firm has used photographs that exploit naked or near-naked women; more recently, they have shown men in homoerotic poses. More than 5,000 of these advertisements have been posted in Holland.

In response, 10 men belonging to the Dutch pro-family organization Stichting Civitas Christiana held a demonstration in Nijmegen’s Keizer Karelplein Square on March 10. They all wore suits.

In response, a crowd of approximately 150 LGBT activists, including members of Antifa, held a violent counter-protest. They were not wearing suits.

While police and politicians looked on, several LGBT activists darted across the few feet that divided them from the pro-family demonstrators to hit them or throw glitter in their eyes. The young men of Stichting Civitas Christiana held signs reading “Stop Suitsupply” and “God’s marriage=1 man + 1 marriage” and handed out flyers.  

“They were hypocrites because they were preaching that we should be tolerant (of) them, but they were very aggressive,” said student and SCC member August Weber. “Police had to intervene many times.”

Lucas Zoonen, another student, told an interviewer from TFP Student Action that he had been punched in the face by a counter-demonstrator and that people had tried to grab his ceremonial cloak.

Whereas SCC members stood quietly, eventually allowing a spokesman to speak through a megaphone, the LGBT and Antifa activists hurled insults, missiles and water, and destroyed their flyers. Some of the the counter-protestors were masked. Some honked horns to drown out the SCC speech. One young man spat at the camera recording the mayhem.

“You know for sure you are doing good when they do something aggressive,” said student Jan Zoonen, “and if you stay calm, then you know you could not do better in the moment.”

He was attacked by a woman who poured glitter over his head and rubbed it in his eyes. She was led away by a police officer while another woman chanted “Hate speech is not free speech” in English. Jan reported that he had been groped by other counter-demonstrators.

A large woman who had obscured her face with a bandana and sunglasses chanted “God is gay” and “Hail Satan.”

Two people were filmed kissing in front of the protestors, presumably exploiting their sexuality to offend others.

“They (the counter-protesters) were shouting all the time. They were not really open for conversation or debate. They were angry. They called us fascists,” said Weber.

At least one young onlooker tried to debate an LGBT activist. He was filmed saying “These guys are trying to promote the family,” but the woman he was trying to engage cursed him and turned her back. He was later menaced by the young man who spat at the camera.

“I think we need more people who stand against this intolerant LGBT, for example, abandon these advertisements on the street because we are confronted with (them) all day after class here,” said Weber. “I go to the university; I have to see this. It’s lighted, even, after dark.”

The protest and counter-protest were widely covered by Dutch media. Church Militant reported that Suitsupply has lost more than 12,000 followers on Instagram since their homoerotic campaign began and that some of their displays have been ripped down.  

Stichting Civitas Christiana was founded in 2014 as a subsidiary of the worldwide Tradition, Family, Property movement. Its aim is to defend the Netherlands’ vanishing Christian heritage. SCC’s latest campaign, “Family in Danger,” aims to protect the traditional family from the destruction of the sexual revolution. SCC was founded, appropriately enough, by Hugo Bos, but he should not be confused with major Suitsupplies competitor Hugo Boss.