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Battle of the Bandidos: 150 bikers protest against club ban in Oranienburg!
On June 14, over 150 Bandidos motorcyclists protested in Oranienburg against a club law that prohibits them from publicly displaying emblems.
Battle of the Bandidos: 150 bikers protest against club ban in Oranienburg!
On Saturday, June 14th, more than 150 motorcycle fans gathered in Oranienburg for a protest parade organized by the well-known motorcycle club “Bandidos”. Bernauer Straße was closed for the event, which lasted from 2 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. The approximately 155 motorcycles and 14 cars, including members and supporters from Berlin, Brandenburg and other federal states, attracted attention. The police attended the meeting, but fortunately there were no incidents. This reported maz-online.de.
The meeting was dedicated to protesting against a stricter association law that has banned the Bandidos from publicly displaying their emblems since March 16, 2017. The rockers demonstrated with two trips from Berlin to Oranienburg, which took place under the motto “No collective punishments for bikers” and “Demonstration against the ban on the Bandidos MC insignia”. This rally is part of a larger conflict, as the Bandidos have been in the sights of public and legal institutions for years, monitored by the police and the Office for the Protection of the Constitution because of their members' involvement in organized crime.
Background and legal developments
The Federal Administrative Court recently declared the Bandidos' ban on associations to be legal. How lto.de reported, the ban, which was imposed by the Federal Ministry of the Interior in 2021, was maintained because serious crimes were found against members of the Bandidos. This ban applies not only to the entire association, but also to 38 sub-organizations, the so-called chapters.
It is surprising that despite the ban, some sub-organizations continue to operate under different names and structures. The Federal Administrative Court has decided that the newly founded “federations” cannot be recognized by the authorities as preserving their identity. This came after the Bandidos announced a self-disbandment, an attempt to challenge the ban. But the incidents and the associated criminal activity did not change the judge's mind.
Rights and freedom of bikers
One of the controversial aspects of the ban is the so-called “cowl ban”, which was confirmed in a ruling by the Federal Constitutional Court. This concerns the public display of logos of the Bandidos and similar clubs such as the Hells Angels. How tagesschau.de As shown in an analysis, the habits are a central identification feature of the members. Despite permission for private use, such as tattoos, violating the ban in public spaces results in severe penalties.
The previous lawsuits against this ban were all dismissed because the court recognized a significant interference with fundamental rights, which, however, was found to be justified with regard to the protection of important legal interests. The conflict over rocker clubs in Germany remains a hot topic, while the Bandidos continue to try to assert their voice and identity in the public space.