After a series of harassment, Coenraad de Roij and his husband Katawut Sritongh leave Babberich. The gay couple had lived less than a year in the former rectory of the village. “It’s sad and sad.”
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Swearing, stones over the fence, balls against the garage door. “We didn’t feel comfortable,” says Coenraad de Roij-Sritongh (60). “You could wait for things to go wrong. I didn’t want to take that risk. ”
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According to De Roij, a group of young people was after him and his husband, Katawut Sritongh-De Roij (38). Less than a year ago, the gay couple lived in the former rectory of Babberich. After a series of harassment, the couple leaves the village.
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Colablikje
According to De Roij, the misery started in June this year. “We heard something bang against the garage door next to the house. I saw three boys run away with a ball. They looked back, but said nothing. Fifteen minutes later the same song: another hard ball against the door. Then they ran away. At ten to eight that evening: another blow. There was a Coke can on the floor.
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“I already had my bike ready, so I went after those guys. They spread. I kept chasing one but couldn’t get it. I took the can to the supermarket and asked the cashier if she could remember who bought that can of Coke. But she knew nothing about it. ”
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Quote We wanted to make a new start outside of Zeist. When we saw this building on Funda, we were sold
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‘Nothing for Babberich’
De Roij informed Willy van Dinther, chairman of the village council in Babberich, about the harassment. He was shocked. “This is not for Babberich”, says Van Dinther. He contacted the police and talked to the police officer. According to De Roij, this is the reason he did not report the crime: “I left it to Willy.”
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A police spokesperson confirms that the first reports of the gay couple’s harassment came through the village council. “It was not clear to us who those involved were. With the third report, we managed to get in touch immediately ”, the spokesperson said.
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Men’s house
In December last year, De Roij and his husband Katawut moved into the former rectory on Babborgaplein in Babberich. The couple came from Zeist. After a turbulent period they looked for peace. “Within three months I had lost my brother and my mother. That made sense. We wanted to make a new start outside of Zeist. When we saw this building on Funda, we were sold. It has a certain atmosphere that makes you happy. Monks have lived there, it has always been a men’s house. ”
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Coenraad and Katawut’s happiness was short-lived in Babberich. A few days after the first balls hit the garage door, another ball hit the door. “There was also spit on it and there was fruit waste”, says De Roij. “Immediately afterwards a ball came over the fence of the school in our garden. Those boys were still in the schoolyard. Then I said: you had fun, stop it. ”
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Quote I no longer dared to speak to those boys when I saw that one of them had a hefty knife with him
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Stone over fence
But that was not the end of it. De Roij still gets chills when he thinks about the stone that flew over the fence. “Katawut was in the garden, you shouldn’t think about what could have happened.”
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He also shudders at the memory of the day he and Katawut were playing bridge with a couple of friends in the garden. Something flew over the fence again. De Roij: “It was a can. At the same time we heard shouting: ‘Gays! Gays! ‘ I was ashamed of my friends, also a gay couple. Then I realized: this will not stop. ”
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In mid-July, De Roij was in contact with the police by telephone. He was given a telephone number, which he could call in case of another incident. According to the police spokesman, no use has been made of this.
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‘Big knife with him’
In the meantime, De Roij hoped for action by the village council. “We wanted to talk. But Willy said he didn’t know the boys. I showed him pictures I took from the top of the window. I no longer dared to speak to those boys when I saw that one of them had a hefty knife with him. ”
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All in all, says De Roij, it took too long for action to be taken. That is why the couple put the rectory up for sale last month. On a whim, afterwards: “Maybe it was a combination of circumstances. The loss of my brother and my mother, the move. Then those bullying. They will say: they are sissies. We don’t really want to leave here. Most people are friendly, we are members of the tennis club in Lobith. Katawut is club champion. But the house was sold immediately. ”
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‘Sad and sad’
The police spokesperson thinks it is regrettable that those involved apparently felt compelled to move elsewhere. Willy van Dinther, the chairman of the village council, calls the departure of the couple ‘sad and sad’. “In fact they let themselves be chased away. Everyone is welcome in Babberich and should be able to live here pleasantly. There should have been a chance for a solution. ”
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Perhaps, De Roij agrees, we should have watched it for a few months. It is too late for that; the couple has returned to Zeist. De Roij hopes that the perpetrators will still be caught: “Now they get away with this.”
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