Netherlands in mourning for reporter de Vries
Journalist and crime reporter Peter R. de Vries died of his injuries on Thursday after he was shot in Amsterdam last week. Members of organised crime are suspected of being behind the attack. Prime Minister Mark Rutte and many politicians and colleagues expressed their condolences and shock, while people flocked to the site of the shooting to lay down flowers.
Who will dare to fight now?
De Vries' stance must now be institutionalised, demands Volkskrant columnist Ibtihal Jadib:
“The Netherlands has lost someone who fought tirelessly against injustice and was not intimidated by anything or anyone. About his decision to stand by the key witness in the trial against the Marengo drug gang, De Vries said: 'At a moment like this you have to stand up and be counted, and not kneel down before terror.' Now the question is: who will dare to be as fearless as Peter R. de Vries? The answer should not be sought in just one person. Organised crime requires an organised response. The steadfast courage of this one man should inspire us.”
Drug users share responsibility
The authorities' lack of resources in the fight against the Mafia isn't the only problem, writes the Süddeutsche Zeitung:
“Of course you can complain that there is no cross-border European bureau of investigation and that the FBI has 50 times as much money as Europol. The Greens have pointed out exactly that in Brussels. It's true that organised crime is strong because the authorities simply can't keep up. But it's also strong because it's fed by every client of a girl who's been forced to go into prostitution, as well as by everyone who's in the habit of sniffing coke. No business is as far removed from fair trade as the drug world. Each consumer may only bear one millionth of the responsibility for de Vries' murder. But that's one millionth too much.”