We use cookies to improve our service for you. You can find more information in our data protection declaration. A German court has sentenced the leader of Hells Angels Berlin charter to life in prison over an apparent revenge killing.
Under his orders, a group of bikers stormed a local bookmaker's shop to kill one of his rivals. Read more: Leader of German Hells Angels faction shot dead. The Berlin court sentenced the year-old Kadir P. Prosecutors also claimed one other defendant was involved in the murder, but failed to prove the link. He was sentenced for possessing an illegal weapon to one year and ten months in prison. 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 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. 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. 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.
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. For the police, the jackets have less romanticized connotations. Authorities associate the leather vests with intimidation and illegal activities.
