A court in the Dutch city of Utrecht has banned the international biker club Hells Angels and ordered all its Dutch chapters to close. Authorities are pursuing a clampdown on what are called outlaw motorcycle gangs.

"The Hells Angels is a danger to the public order," the court ruled. "It's a club where there's a culture of lawlessness and the authorities are kept outside their doors," the court added in a statement.

The Hells Angels Motorcycle Club is a worldwide group whose members are typically male and white and ride Harley-Davidson motorcycles. The club was formed in the US in 1948 and has long been associated with the rock n' roll lifestyle.

The United States Department of Justice regards them as an international crime syndicate, but the Dutch ban would be the first that the gang has ever faced.

Read more: Italian Mafia, bikers, Berlin clans: Europe's crime gangs

'A culture of violence'

The Utrecht court said the club was led by "a culture of violence," from which the public needed protection.

Dutch prosecutors have been trying to get the club banned for more than a decade and referred to an incident in the southern town of Kerkrade in 2015, where a cafe frequented by rival gangs was set on fire.

The following year, Hells Angels were involved in a serious brawl in the restaurant of a Rotterdam hotel restaurant, where shots were fired.

"These incidents portray an image of violence by and against the Hells Angels," the court concluded.

Implementation up to prosecutors

Lawyers for Hells Angels said they intend to appeal the decision.

It was not immediately clear how the ban is to be enforced, with the court saying that its implementation was left to the discretion of prosecutors.

The American gang is not the only biker group to have been banned in the Netherlands. The same Utrecht court banned their arch-rivals Bandidos in 2017.

In 2018, judges also banned Dutch club Satudarah for its involvement in criminal activities including violence, manufacturing and trafficking narcotics, the illegal possession of weapons and extortion.

jcg/jm (dpa, AFP, Reuters)

Contentious biker garb 'Fat Mexican' not welcome The "Fat Mexican," the trademark of the Bandidos motorcycle club, stands for trouble. A chapter was banned from the western German city of Aachen due to violence and illegal gun ownership in 2012. It followed a ban of the Neumünster group in 2010. But does that mean members of other chapters are not allowed to wear club jackets in public? Germany's Federal Court of Justice is set to decide.

Contentious biker garb A fight against a fine Two Bandidos in Germany took their case to the courts after being fined for wearing club vests - despite the fact that their local chapters had not been banned and had not broken any laws. Members of the Hells Angels, the other large motorcycle club in Germany, have found themselves in the same situation.

Contentious biker garb The dreaded winged death head Displaying the Hells Angels' signature winged skull, the "death head," in public, can lead to criminal charges - that's despite only certain chapters of this club being banned in Germany. The rational behind this is that authorities don't want people flaunting symbols for a gang that is involved in violent and illegal activities.

Contentious biker garb More than a piece of clothing Should the court sustain a general ban, it would be a punch to the gut of clubs like the Bandidos and the Hells Angels. After all, the leather vest with club insignia is part of a member's identity and a badge of honor. Insiders can even tell what status a member holds in his group by looking at the different patches on the vest.

Contentious biker garb A means of intimidation For the police, the jackets have less romanticized connotations. Authorities associate the leather vests with intimidation and illegal activities. In 2013, Germany's Federal Criminal Police Office said one in eight trials was connected to motorcycle clubs. Crimes included assault, drug and weapons trafficking and prostitution.

Contentious biker garb Illegal insignia? Opponents of a general ban of the vests criticize its underlying concept of guilt by association. A German criminal law professor recently wrote that the policy of "persecution" of members of non-banned chapters urgently needed to be changed. Whether wearing the "Fat Mexican" or a winged skull is reason enough to be taken in by police will be decided on Thursday. Author: Carla Bleiker



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