An installer sits on the windowsill of a bedroom window at the house of journalist Jeffrey de Vries in Maastricht. With one leg inside and the other outside, the man attaches a large lamp with a motion detector to the facade. Roller shutters for the front door and windows have already been ordered. The new security measures are in addition to existing ones, such as camera surveillance and an emergency button, installed after previous threats.
The reason is the fire in the car in which De Vries normally travels for his internet platform What is Loos in Mestreech. CCTV footage shows three men walking up to the car at 2:22 am on the night of Wednesday to Thursday and throwing something inside. This is followed by three explosions. After the third, the flames extinguish automatically.
The police assume a targeted attack using heavy fireworks and gasoline, De Vries heard from the detective. A press spokesperson will not provide any further information during the investigation.
De Vries was in bed when it happened. “At first I was completely shaken after the attack. You just don’t expect something like that,” says De Vries in his living room, half darkened by blinds. “The adrenaline is still high.”
‘We will destroy you’
What is Loos in Mestreech started on Facebook four years ago. De Vries, a taxi driver and DJ in the past, initially filmed news in his area with some others. “Our big breakthrough” came when several hundred supporters of the local professional football club MVV marched through the center in January 2021 to protect the city against predicted corona riots. “We went live and it was viewed en masse.”
Twelve people now work for it What is Looswhich has 120,000 followers. De Vries himself sings the signature tune (laughing: “I have the gun factor”). With its topics, the medium moves on the border between journalism and entertainment. The reporters speak dialect where possible. “Creating accessible news” is the starting point, according to De Vries.
He has been receiving threats since last fall. “That started with phone calls. Usually at night with lyrics like ‘We will destroy you’ and the well-known k-words. We have always reported this to the police.”
On December 3, 2023, stones went through the windows of a private car belonging to De Vries. “After that, PersVeilig helped me with security. Thanks to them, while reporting on public events in the city, I was also able to surround myself with security guards who kept an eye on things.” PersVeilig is a joint initiative of the NVJ, the Dutch Society of Editors-in-Chief, the Police and the Public Prosecution Service that helps journalists to arm themselves against violence.
De Vries himself suspects that the phone calls and the attack on the car last year were related to an earlier item about fake plumbers and scams. But no one was ever arrested. This year the calls kept coming.
De Vries feels supported by the police, PersVeilig and the mayor of Maastricht, Wim Hillenaar. “I just received a text from him.”
The lease car with which the reporter traveled through Maastricht and the surrounding area is a total loss. “But I will continue with my work. We had planned a Christmas outing with the employees today: bowling and stone grilling. We did cancel that.” De Vries’ next job now: making an item about the attack, with the security footage. “I was a bit confused at first. If they have something against me, they can just come and report now.”
Thomas Bruning, chairman of the Dutch Association of Journalists, speaks of “a targeted attack. Particularly worrying, because it does not appear to stand alone. And it could have ended badly. The profession appears to be increasingly targeted. Over the past year, PersVeilig received a report almost every working day.”