By Nathaniel Tishman

Like a swarm of angry hornets, a buzz echoes through the air, creeping up on a small Fiat moseying down the highway in the express lane. The buzz grows louder and before long has become an ear-bleeding roar. The Fiat’s driver looks in the rearview mirror. Swarms of scowling, fiercely tattooed leather-clad men thunder by on Harleys so loud and so monstrous it would be understandable for fellow motorists to feel that they mistakenly wound up on AC/DC’s highway to hell. Actually it was just the E20 from Århus to Copenhagen, and as the bikers scream past, the driver of the Fiat learns a fundamental lesson- the space between a group of bikers and the open road is not the safest place to be.

Bikers are not a new phenomenon in Europe, and particularly Scandinavia, but they have become a much larger part of the agenda in recent years. In his New Year’s remarks, Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh-Rasmussen made particular mention of their perceived menace, and promised to “fight fire with fire.” While the Danish government believes it is fighting a band of degenerate criminals, research into the history and background of biker culture would seem to tell a different story.

Given the appearance and attitude of the bikers, it is not surprising why many people in power would consider them a dangerous element of society. In an entirely male subculture revolving around high-powered chrome and steel machinery, nail-studded leather, vicious tattoos and piercings, womanizing, and copious quantities of sex, drugs and rock and roll, the average politician might be a bit put off. Indeed, biker culture would seem to represent everything a man such as Fogh-Rasmussen would find wrong with society.

Both major motorcycle groups in Scandinavia, the Hells Angels and the Bandidos have adopted the idea of 1%, which is prominently featured on patches, motorcycles, and web pages. The story behind this is that while 99 percent of society chooses to live by the rules, the other 1 percent refuses to conform, and does what they please. A statement on a Finnish Bandidos website expanded on this idea, saying: “A 1%er is one of hundred of us who has given up on society and politicians one-way-laws. This is why we look repulsive to you. We’re saying we don’t want to be like you or look like you.”

Despite their outward appearance, motorcycle clubs have gone to great lengths to prove to the world that they are not simply outlaws, but regular guys who happen to share a common passion for bikes and the open road. Both the Hells Angels and the Bandidos have tried to show the world that their ranks are made not of criminals, but construction workers, engineers, and shopkeepers- family men with loving wives and cute children.

Whether the negative image of bikers has been over-hyped by the media is open to debate, but the evidence would seem to show that while many bikers are law-abiding citizens, there are ties to a violent underworld. Motorcycle clubs have been linked to the drug trade, theft, and violence- much of it between rival organizations.

The Danish chapters of the Hells Angels have had a series of wars with other ‘Rocker’ biker groups since the early 1980’s. These wars claimed the lives of many bikers, as well as a few innocents, and escalated to the point of having grenades and anti-tank rockets used on enemy clubhouses.

So who are these people, what is their background, and why have they been such a flashpoint in Danish politics of late?

The Early Days

Before the motorcycle clubs officially set up shop in Denmark, Danish bikers were a much rougher bunch, lacking even the minimal organization of a group such as the Hells Angels. They were a small group of around 100 bikers, which the press dubbed ‘The Wild Angels’- but among themselves they preferred to be known as ‘Club 69.’ This group also called themselves ‘Dirty Angels,’ and eventually ‘Rockers.’ According to writings by Jørn Jønke Nielsen, one of the original members of the Hells Angels in Denmark, the Rockers worked hard to distance themselves from society.

“The Dirty-style was provoking: Dirty, ragged clothes, and preferably with as many offensive symbols as possible,” writes Nielsen. “White Power T-shirts, swastikas and other Nazi-badges could really get the "bourgeois animals" "out of the armchair". The rockers were flock animals, they loved to provoke and it was always a matter of kicking up a row for rows own sake.”

Nielsen also believes that the media provoked much of the early violence between rival motorcycle clubs. “Small conflicts between the rocker clubs were an accepted part of the milieu,” he writes. “Not until the press began to take interest in the phenomenon, did it develop into "rocker war."

The Key Players

In Denmark today two motorcycle clubs rule the country, the Hells Angels, and the Bandidos. They are both very secretive, but each are believed to have approximately 150 members in Denmark. Both of these are worldwide organizations, with their roots firmly planted in post-wartime America.

The Bandidos are a much newer organization than the Hells Angels, both in Denmark, and the world as a whole. They were founded in 1966 in San Leon, Texas by disillusioned soldiers returning home from the Vietnam War. According to the Houston Chronicle there are approximately 5,000 Bandidos worldwide. Very little is known about the club, as they are even more reluctant to speak with the media than the Hells Angels- both organizations were unavailable for comment. It is believed that the Danish chapter of the Bandidos was formed in 1993, and was created when a smaller club, the Undertakers, decided to merge with the larger organization. Since then the Bandidos have expanded within Denmark, opening chapters in 11 cities.

The first chapter of Hells Angels, founded in 1948 in San Bernardino, California was made up primarily of former soldiers who missed the excitement, speed, and adventure that war had provided. Their namesake was believed to be the US Army 303rd B-17 Bomber Group, one of the most successful units in the war. The group of motorcycle enthusiasts remained quite small, entirely in California until 1961, when the first overseas chapter was admitted in Auckland, New Zealand. The Hells Angels grew exponentially in the 60’s and 70’s, rapidly expanding throughout North America and Europe, particularly Scandinavia- this did not escape the notice of the Danish bikers.

By this point the Danes had reorganized themselves again into four separate groups: The Iron Skulls, Dirty Angels, Nomads, and Galloping Goose. In 1978 these groups decided to unite under the banner of Galloping Goose Motorcycle Club and press for Hells Angels membership. Before the Danes could become part of the Hells Angels, however, they had to be checked out by the nearest chapter, which was Hamburg, Germany. In April, 1978 16 German Hells Angels visited Copenhagen to assess whether the Danish bikers were ready- it did not go well. The Danes were much closer to the Rocker lifestyle, dirtier and wanting to cause mischief- they were disgusted by the “bourgeois” attitude of the German bikers. The visit ended in a brawl, and Copenhagen was told to contact Hamburg again in a few years. Shortly thereafter, however, the Danes received a letter from Hells Angels Worldwide, the mother organization, saying that they’d been accepted as a ‘Hangaround’ chapter, the initial stage of Hells Angels membership.

Galloping Goose progressed rapidly, but as the responsibilities of membership increased, their numbers declined. There were small feuds with another rival gang called Bullshit, who’d chosen to abandon Angels membership and instead focus on the Rocker lifestyle. The Galloping Geese eventually decided to ignore Bullshit as much as possible, as they were pursuing a higher cause- the bikers hadn’t seen the last of the Rockers though. In autumn 1979 Copenhagen was accepted as a prospect chapter, the next step towards becoming full Hells Angels. After a relatively quiet period Copenhagen was officially voted in as the 40th chapter of Hells Angels on New Year’s Eve 1981 in Switzerland.

In 1983 violence flared up again between the new Hells Angels and Bullshit. The “Rocker War,” as the press dubbed it, lasted five years and cost the lives of eight people. More than 100 years of prison sentences were handed out. The Hells Angels were seen as the victors, and Bullshit collapsed in 1988. The violence brought waves of bad publicity to the bikers- both politicians and the media used them as scapegoats for rising crime and societal problems.

“The biker milieu and particularly HA were smeared in the most gross manner, and exposed as a mafia,” complains Nielsen. “They [the media and police] ruined our bike-shows, and the possibility of working and functioning in the society.”

There is evidence to support Nielsen’s claims. Violence between the Hells Angels, and a new rival, the Bandidos, was minimal in the early 90’s until the media increasingly began to cover the story. Shortly thereafter, the “Big Nordic Rocker War” exploded, which eventually killed 11 people. Since then there has been relative quiet, but politicians and the media have seemed eager to further inflame things, and create feuds that don’t necessarily exist.

Despite their disputes, both the Hells Angels and the Bandidos have a great deal in common. Both clubs have similar requirements for entry- a potential member must be male, at least 21 years old, own a Harley-Davidson, and be prepared to serve the brotherhood above all else. Membership is a lifelong commitment in both the Hells Angels and the Bandidos, and loyalty is demanded. An excerpt from the bylaws of the Bandidos reads as follows:

“It’s one in all and all in one. If you don’t think this way then walk away. Because you are a citizen and don’t belong with us. We are Bandidos and Members will follow the Bandidos way or get out. All members are your Brothers and your family.”

There are other similarities as well- both the Hells Angels and Bandidos share red and gold as their organizations colors, for example. The basis for this is that many of the original members of the clubs were US Marines, who bear a red and gold banner. Both of the clubs have a view towards women which is merely sexist at best and utterly chauvinistic at worst. In both organizations women are treated more as property than as people.

If they have so much in common, why then have the organizations been such bitter rivals? Or are the Hells Angels and Bandidos closer than politicians think, and the rift is simply a media-generated fabrication?

One more critical thing, which both clubs have in common, is the constant hounding from politicians. In 1997 the Folketing passed the so-called ‘Rocker Act,’ which “prohibits staying on certain places.” This was seen by many as a direct attack on the bikers, and was met with outrage by the Danish leaders of the two clubs. Danish police have been attempting to crack down on the activities of the bikers, closing clubhouses, arresting bikers, and passing regulations which attempted to squeeze Hells Angels and Bandidos out of the community. Prime Minister Rasumussen has taken this further in recent weeks, declaring an all out war on bikers, and trying to ‘fight fire with fire,’ as he put it. What he intends to do remains to be seen.

Despite the efforts of Rasmussen and his counterparts the Hells Angels and Bandidos show very little sign of slowing down, both in Denmark and abroad. The Bandidos operate chapters in 14 countries, and the Angels have operations in 26 countries, with potential chapters set to open in places as varied as Santiago, Chile and Vilnius, Lithuania. While the government may want nothing more than to have the bikers simply disappear the trend is the opposite, with chapters from Oakland to Odense, Brussels to Bangkok.