The northwestern German state formally banned the Concrete City charter and its supporter club Clan 81 and launched a crackdown against the groups on Wednesday.

Some 700 police officers were involved in the crackdown in over a dozen German cities, including Cologne, Wuppertal and Düsseldorf in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW). Special police units, experts on organized crime and people acquainted with the "biker scene" also took part in the effort.

Read more: Hells Angels member charged in Frankfurt shooting

Police raided over 50 locations in 16 cities and towns

NRW state Interior Minister Herbert Reul said that both "the purpose and the activity of the biker club and its supporters goes against the law."

"The members of the club are proven criminals. Their everyday life consists of violence, weapons, drugs and forced prostitution," Reul said in a statement.

Hells Angels were attempting to lay claim to "power and territory" in their turf wars with rival clubs, he added.

"The state will not tolerate the growth of these parallel societies that disregard its authority and its monopoly on legitimate use of force," according to the minister.

Bikers to oppose the ban

The authorities have so far seized weapons, drugs, computers, and over 60,000 euro ($70,000) in cash belonging to the two groups, as well as bikers' "cuts" — the vests bearing symbols of their association.

The police crackdown is expected to continue until Wednesday afternoon. The coordinated action has been unfolding "without any incident," a police spokesman said.

Commenting on the raids, Hells Angels' lawyer Wolf Bonn accused the police of taking items which could not be considered evidence, including biker's watches, motorcycles, and even a bachelor thesis.

"We are now trying to form a comprehensive picture of the measures and people affected, and we are looking into legal moves to oppose the ban," the lawyer said.

Ensuring 'law and order'

Violent clashes between biker factions and biker-related crimes are relatively common in Germany, which has over 70 Hells Angels charters. In NRW, members of the world's best-known motorcycle club have a history of bloody rivalry with the Bandidos, also an international biker association

Read more: Cologne police raid Hells Angels hideout





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



Read more: Hamburg police arrests suspects in possible biker clash

A leader of a Hells Angels faction, Aygün Mucuk, was gunned down in the clubhouse in Wettenberg a year ago.

Earlier this year, around 40 Hells Angels members attempted to break through a police checkpoint in Cologne, allegedly to disrupt the birthday party for the local Bandidos leader. The police later raided the clubhouse, finding a firearm, a case of ammunition and a machete.

Last month, four Hells Angels bikers went on trial in Leipzig over a 2016 murder of a biker from a rival gang.

The Wednesday ban is part of a state-wide strategy of zero tolerance for biker gangs in NRW.

"We are going to make sure that there are law and order in the entire North Rhine-Westphalia," Interior Minister Reul said.

"This has nothing to do with this romanticized image of motorcycle riders. We are dealing with criminal organizations."

dj/msh (AFP, dpa)