The Dutch government has announced its plans to put an end to the criminal activities of motorbike clubs. So-called ‘outlaw bikers’ are allegedly involved in trafficking drugs and weapons, intimidation and attempted murders. But the lawyer of one of the two largest biker clubs in the Netherlands is astonished by the allegations.

Justice and Security Minister Ivo Opstelten warns that Hells Angels and members of the Moluccan biker club Satudarah should not think they are invincible. In recent years there have been more than 40 criminal investigations into the Hells Angels and Satudarah. But so far, this has been to little or no avail, as cases are seldom prosecuted, partly because the authorities fail to communicate with each other.

That's a thing of the past from now on, says Minister Opstelten :

“All mayors, the Public Prosecutor's Office, the fraud squad and other government agencies have joined forces to fight evil on the same level. It's an integrated approach. This is what we do with outlaw bikers in our country. This way we will prevent them from continuing their evil practices.”

The tougher approach should make it more difficult for the clubs to hold meetings and build a club house. Mr Opstelten: “We will not tolerate no go areas where people can ignore national rules and values.” Priority will also be given to confiscating the proceeds of crime.

Tough language
Erik Thomas, lawyer for Satudarah, is horrified by what he calls the minister’s tough language. He thinks the minister should take more care with his accusations:

“Lots of accusations have been voiced. Honestly I have to say, I was astonished when I heard the minister say: 'We have to tackle the evil'. The language is out of proportion; the term ‘outlaw bikers’ was used. If I look at my clients from the last 22 years, I don't recognise the image that the justice minister is trying to portray. As if Satudarah, and probably also the Hells Angels, have an octopus-like influence on the Netherlands."

The law-abiding versus the underworld
And indeed, the minister does think that the motorcycle clubs are extending their tentacles still further. With the new offensive, he wants to prevent them having an ever-increasing grip on society:

"There should be no occurences of intimidation, there should be no intertwining of crime with the law-abiding world. The government should ensure that that sort of thing does not occur. The government will show its face here and will prevent these things happening."

(nc/as)

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