It was a painful and sad downer after a festive day for Bart Joosten (34) from Helmond. He and a friend were beaten up early last Sunday in Eindhoven, when they came out of a gay bar. Meanwhile, the physical damage is slowly starting to heal, and Bart does not show himself mentally either. “We were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
“I just don’t understand what it was needed for”, Bart looks back on that night. That Saturday he went to Amsterdam with a friend to celebrate the Pride there. To conclude, the two wanted to have a nightcap in gay bar de Regenboog on Stratumseind. When they left there around a quarter past five in the morning, things went completely wrong.
On the Vestdijk, the duo was booed by a couple of men, to which Bart’s friend responded. “All he yelled was for them to mind their own business. Before I knew it, I had a fist in my face.”
“After two hours of work, the bucket overflows.”
And it didn’t stop there. When the men finally left, Bart had a ruptured lip, a concussion, a hole in his head and severe damage to his teeth. His friend is also left with a concussion. “My face is starting to heal nicely,” says Bart. “But I continue to suffer from the blows to my head. After two hours of work, the bucket overflows. Then I get dizzy and I get a headache.”
The damage to his teeth has not yet been repaired. “It also happens when all the dentists are on vacation,” he adds with a cautious chuckle. At the beginning of September Bart can go for the necessary repairs. “But I already get a temporary bit for that to fill the gap.”
“We were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
On Wednesday, police said they are seeking witnesses to the assault. “The police called to ask how we were doing. Then they already said that there was no new information or camera images yet. Well, it’s pretty bad that those guys are still walking around. On the other hand, you know that the chance of being caught is free. is small.”
As frustrating as it may be, Bart won’t let it stop him. “Will I dare to go out at night again in a few weeks? Yes. I refuse to let myself be scared. We were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Although I might think twice next time the route. Then I’ll walk back over Stratumseind, where there are a little more people.”
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