Rainbow Flags Rise Across the Netherlands on Coming Out Day, as Oldebroek's 379 Flags — and Overnight Thefts — Draw National Attention
Sunday, 11 October 2026 was national Coming Out Day in the Netherlands, and rainbow flags were raised at town halls, churches and homes across the country. According to NOS, the national spotlight fell on the Gelderland municipality of Oldebroek, where residents put out at least 379 rainbow flags around the day — and where several flags were stolen or destroyed on Saturday night.
The story began with a council decision on 1 October. Oldebroek's new governing coalition of the Christian association CVO, the SGP and local party ABO, in office since July, voted to withdraw the municipality's 2021 LGBTQ+ policy plan and to stop raising the rainbow flag at the town hall on Coming Out Day. The coalition argued that the municipality serves all residents, that the Dutch and municipal flags already stand for everyone, and that no separate policy or flag is needed for one group.
Resident Kjeld Mooi, 26, responded through his Oldebroek Vooruit initiative, offering free rainbow flags to anyone who wanted one. Requests rose from more than 250 to at least 379 flags, which appeared across Wezep, Oldebroek, Hattemerbroek, 't Loo, Oosterwolde and Noordeinde.
Out of respect for Sunday rest, the main gathering was held a day early, on Saturday, 10 October: pastor Han Wilmink raised a rainbow flag at the Kruiskerk church in Wezep before several hundred people, among them Oldebroek mayor Tanja Haseloop-Amsing, State Secretary for Justice and Security Claudia van Bruggen and several members of parliament.
During the night from Saturday to Sunday, however, flags were stolen or destroyed at several places in Oldebroek and Oosterwolde; the church flag disappeared within hours of the ceremony. Police later said at least four flags had been taken at four locations, that one free-standing flagpole had been pulled over by a car and that another pole, screwed down after earlier thefts, had been snapped off. Four rainbow flags had also been stolen in the municipality in July, with no arrests made. A burned flag was found in nearby Hattem.
Mooi has written to the municipal executive asking what concrete steps it will take for the safety of LGBTQ+ residents. NOS covered Oldebroek alongside flag-raisings elsewhere in the country on 11 October; NU.nl and regional broadcaster Omroep Gelderland also reported on the thefts.
Sources: NOS and NU.nl, 11 October 2026; Omroep Gelderland; police statement carried by regional media on 12 October 2026.
Source: NOS、NU.nl
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 阿姆斯特丹街头建筑上悬挂的彩虹旗。摄影：Klaas Z4us van B. V，CC BY-SA 4.0，来源：Wikimedia Commons（Rainbowflags Amsterdam Pride 2018.jpg）
