Almost two thirds of the country’s refusenik registrars – civil servants who refuse to carry out same sex marriages – will fight their eventual sacking in court, according to research for television programme De Vijfde Dag, due to be broadcast on Thursday night.

Broadcaster EO questioned 69 of the estimated 100 refuseniks identified by gay rights lobby group COC. Of them, 97% said they would rather be sacked than oversee a same sex wedding.
MPs want the government to remove a clause allowing civil servants to opt out of gay weddings if they have religious objections. Civil servants who still refuse would then be sacked. The cabinet, which wants to keep the opt-out, has asked the Council of State for its recommendations.
The survey showed the average refusenik is a man aged 50 plus from a small local authority area. The earlier COC research said most are fundamentalist Christians.