YOUR ex speaks with Julian Suarez, Family Bar owner Wayne Clark and NZ Police about last weekend’s alleged assault.
Julian Suarez tells YOUR ex he has been to Family Bar ‘plenty of times,’ mainly to ‘dance to Latin music in the back Garden Bar.’
However, last weekend, Suarez says he was assaulted in the toilets located at the top of the venue’s staircase around 2am Sunday.
Suarez tells us he had been at the club for roughly an hour before he headed to the bathroom.
“I went to the toilets, and then that’s my last memory. Seeing the urinals, some people there, and next memory being taken out in the ambulance from outside of Family Bar. The (duty) manager was there. I was taken in the ambulance then to Auckland hospital, and I was there for all the morning, and the doctor assessed me on Sunday.”
“The doctor told me that when I was in the ambulance, I declared that it was three guys that attacked me in the bathroom… I tried to get hold of my friends to see if they remembered or saw something. But it seems I left them when they were in the Underground Bar, so they didn’t see that… That’s my only memory; seeing the urinals because it’s a long urinal and a couple of guys, but I don’t have more memory of a situation, interaction or anything with them,” he tells us.
Suarez sustained brutal injuries, including a fractured nose and lacerations to his lips and right eyelid, which was left severely swollen. He believes the assault was motivated by homophobia.
“I have said to the police, I was dressed up in a very gay costume… I believe that this is 100% an attack against a gay guy who was dressed up as one of the Muses from Hercules and was with a harness… I can’t think what any other reason would be,” explains Suarez, who was dressed up for Halloween celebrations.
“I don’t remember seeing many other people in costumes. My one was very gay with long white rainbow socks on and white shoes, which are now all red… They destroyed my costume. They took it off. I have a big scratch on my chest,” he tells us.
A spokesperson from NZ Police tells YOUR ex that an investigation is ‘ongoing’ but “at this stage, our enquiries have not revealed anything to suggest this was a hate-motivated incident.”
Family Bar tells us they are “working closely with police” to find the alleged attacker, including providing CCTV footage from inside the club.
Family Bar’s owner, Wayne Clark, previously employed Suarez at a bar he owns in Blenheim and says he knows him well.
“We are shocked and deeply dismayed at the incident that occurred over the weekend involving our friend and ex-colleague. This is unacceptable, and we are working closely with police to ensure those responsible are held accountable,” he tells us.
Clark tells us that Suarez texted him from the hospital in the early hours of Sunday morning to inform him of the assault, and Clark (who was in Australia) immediately reached out to a mutual friend to pick Suarez up from Auckland Hospital and ensure he had support.
“We try very hard to run our venue as safe as possible with nine security guards employed at Family Bar on a Saturday night, through Black & White Security Company,” the venue has confirmed to media in a statement.
“It is discriminatory to ask people if they are straight or gay when they walk in the door and refuse entry based on that. However, security does let people know they are entering a gay venue and to be respectful… Any issues that happen are dealt with immediately, and troublemakers are banned for six months to two years. Security also conducts a bag search and confiscates drugs and knives, plus, we now have a scanner for added security. Security also do sweeps of toilet areas every 20 minutes and are visible throughout the venue in high-vis yellow uniforms,” Family Bar says.
NZ Police tell us they recommend that anyone going for a night out should do their best to: “Look after your friends and stick together; make sure your phone is fully charged before you head out; plan how you are getting home at the end of your night and have the cash, eftpos card or app to pay for transport,” adding, “If you have concerns about someone’s behaviour, call Police immediately on 111.”
Since his flatmate posted a viral video about the incident, Suarez tells us he has been overwhelmed with messages of support.
“It was amazing, because I’m an immigrant here, and that day I was in hospital, I felt really lonely… but then on Monday, I started to receive all these messages of love, telling me ‘We are with you,’ not only from my close friends, but a lot of people that I don’t even know. I have received messages of love from gay guys in Christchurch, in Wellington, people from Australia and in the UK!” he says.
Suarez is talking to us from Zoom with flowers and cards of support visible in the background. He tells us the experience inspired him to create an Instagram post aimed at his aggressors, which states, “They thought they were going to delete my smile. They were fucking wrong!”
Anyone who witnessed the incident or has any further information should contact NZ Police and quote the case number 241104/9584.
