The front door of the house was badly damaged and has since been replaced. The garage door and the car parked in the driveway were also damaged. “His car window was broken and because the gear was in neutral, the car had rolled back,” says the local resident.
This has a huge impact, says Letty Demmers. She is involved in the Resilient Governance Support Team, which helps endangered drivers. “Something like that can make you insecure in what you’re doing. And it has extra impact when it happens at home. Then you wonder: is it aimed at me as a person?”
That thought can have far-reaching consequences, according to Demmers: “If threats affect the way you make decisions, it can affect the rule of law and we absolutely must not let that happen.” According to the Support Team, half of Dutch mayors faced threats in 2019.
Suspect
In Hoogerheide nothing is yet clear about a possible motive. Mayor Adriaansen said in a statement earlier that he is in the dark. There would be no recent threats.
Police are referring to a “suspected firework bomb”, adding that no legal fireworks have been used anyway. According to the police, there is no sight of a suspect yet.
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