Amsterdam – Is a war brewing on the streets of Amsterdam? If you ask a Hells Angel or Satudarah (Indonesian for ‘First Blood’) the answer is no. They’re all just motorcycle enthousiasts. Still, things are brewing beneath the surface, and several Harley meetings where cancelled by local authorities in Gouda and Breda because of it. The MC’s have enough and decide to meet in Amsterdam.

There are several things going on behind the scenes though. Satudarah has been contacted by the Bandidos, another MC looking to expand into Dutch territory, and these are sworn enemies of the Hells Angels. Between the Angels and Bandidos there has been a bloody war in Scandinavia, with casualties on both sides. The attacks sometimes even involved the use of handgrenades.

The Angels are looking to stand their ground and wouldn’t like to see Satudarah ally with the Bandidos. The Hells Angels also seem to have some issues with ‘cultural differences’ as they don’t like the way Satudarah recruits, claiming that some Satudarah members don’t even know how to ride or even do not own a Harley.

Last year a Hells Angel was shot in Haarlem in what seems to be a drugs related incident. Notably, Satudarah members where welcomed in the Haarlem Hells Angels clubhouse, and they joined the funeral procession openly.

The Satudarah Maluku was started in 1990 in Moordrecht (NL) and states that it’s a multi-cultural club of motorcycle enthousiasts. The members are mainly of Moluccan background, but they claim to concider anyone for membership, regardless of race or creed. Daniel Uneputty, president of the Amsterdam chapter of the Hells Angels is also of Moluccan descent. Satudarah has released a statement on the situation:

“Satudarah MC is an independant motorcycle clthat has no responsibility nor is bound to other clubs in the Netherlands or abroad. SMC has been part of the board of 8 in the Netherlands for several years.  A board between all the major motor clubs in the Netherlands to regulate the good understanding between the big clubs. Earlier this year SMC has been banned from this board of 8. We don’t care that we are no longer part of this board. However, it is not contributing to stability or peace in the Dutch motorcycle world.”

They go on explaining that they believe in the philosophy of mutual respect (Give Respect, Get Respect) and that they are indeed allied with the Bandidos in Germany. Their ties are those of friendship and mutual respect, but they do not intend to join the Bandidos, nor help them set up a chapter in the Netherlands.

“The Bandidos MC is a major international club that doesn’t really need our help when they would settle in the Netherlands. If they plan to settle, they are welcome in our opinion. We live in a free country and have no problem with the Bandidos MC. We realize that the arrival of a second major international club such as the Bandidos MC may lead to major turmoil in the Netherlands and would regret this. However, in these possible futures we play no role.”

The protest in Amsterdam has gone through without any major incidents. The police has tried to stop some Satudarah members from entering the city, and some where arrested. Most of them are free again. Satudarah was present in the city centre and both sides claim to have no beef with each other.

In other news: the 4th season of Sons of Anarchy is starting this week!