Crime reporter John van den Heuvel wanted to report in a different way about the arrest of Femke Halsema’s son in 2019. The son of the Amsterdam mayor was arrested because he had a disabled weapon with him.
Van den Heuvel was in 2019 during a holiday on Curaçao by his employer The Telegraph asked to find out whether Halsema’s son had been arrested. He soon heard from sources within the police that that was correct, the journalist says AT5.
“It seems as if that whole file should disappear in a desk drawer, and we do not agree with that,” police sources Van den Heuvel said. “That was actually the point of the story for me,” says the crime reporter. “Namely that such a thing should be covered with the mantle of love.”
After the article, Halsema wrote a letter to the inhabitants of Amsterdam, which, according to Van den Heuvel, stoked the fire considerably. According to him, the story was not given the right meaning. “The focus should have been more on police officers who were worried. Now it was a bit too much about Halsema’s son.”
The relationship between Halsema and Van den Heuvel is said to have “seriously cooled” due to the situation. Although the story could have been more nuanced, according to the journalist, he does not regret the article. “I am a reporter and I report on things that happen in the city. Even if it concerns Halsema’s son, you should be able to write about it, I think.”
2023-07-08 09:34:11
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