Satudarah Explained

Satudarah MC
Founded:1990
Founding Location:Moordrecht, the Netherlands[1]
Years Active:1990–present
Territory:Netherlands, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Brazil, Canada, Congo-Kinshasa, Curaçao, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Indonesia, Ireland, Malaysia, Namibia, New Zealand, Norway, Serbia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, United States, Vietnam
Ethnic Makeup:Multiethnic; in particular Moluccan, Dutch, and Surinamese
Membership Est:2,000+ worldwide

Satudarah MC is a one-percenter outlaw motorcycle club that was founded in 1990 in the Dutch town of Moordrecht.[2] It was banned in the Netherlands on 18 June 2018,[3] but continues to exist through international chapters and affiliates. Members of the motorcycle club have frequently been tied to cases of violent crime, extortion, illegal drug trade, and arms trafficking.[4]

History

Satudarah MC was founded in 1990 by nine mainly Moluccan friends who lived in the Moluccan neighborhood of Moordrecht, South Holland. They had a penchant for motorcycling and called themselves the "heirs of the Moluccan warriors". As a result, an Alfur warrior is depicted on the club's logo, as is the mention of Maluku. The name Indonesian: satu darah means 'one blood' in Indonesian Malay and the club's colors are black and yellow.

In the summer of 2011, Satudarah appeared frequently in Dutch news, because motorcycle events in the Netherlands were called off out of fear that they would be used to fight a feud between the Dutch chapter of the Hells Angels and Satudarah. Both motorcycle clubs publicly denied this and subsequently organized their own events. The feared conflict did not materialize.

Satudarah MC established itself in Antwerp in 2012 under the name 'Satudarah Belgium District 9',[5] [6] where it operated in competition with the Belgian chapter of the Hells Angels.

In 2014, the Swedish chapter of Satudarah was disbanded after all its members were arrested for weapons possession and drug offences.[7] In February 2015, the motorcycle club was banned by the German government, after which a national police action followed with searches and raids on clubhouses in Aachen and Duisburg, among others.[8]

On 18 June 2018, the Dutch court in The Hague banned and dissolved Satudarah MC and two of its supporting organizations due to the threat to public order they presented.[9] The club and its affiliates were no longer allowed to operate because of, among other reasons, their involvement in violent crime.[3] In June 2019, the court's decision was confirmed on appeal.[10] Cassation at the Supreme Court did not change matters either, resulting in Satudarah being definitively banned in the Netherlands.[11]

Council of Eight

For many years, Satudarah MC was part of the so-called 'Council of Eight' (Dutch; Flemish: Raad van Acht), a consultative body of all major motorcycle clubs in the Netherlands, intended to promote good understanding between the clubs. In early 2011, Satudarah MC was expelled from the council.[12]

International presence

Over the years, Satudarah MC has had 44 chapters throughout the Netherlands[13] and chapters and affiliates in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Brazil, Canada, Congo-Kinshasa, Curaçao, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Indonesia, Ireland, Malaysia, Namibia, New Zealand, Norway, Serbia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, the United States, and Vietnam.[6] [14] [15] [16] [17]

Australia

The national president of Satudarah, who is based in Melbourne, said in 2018 that chapters had been established in all Australian states, as well as a club in Canberra that had recently been patched over.[18] The Sydney chapter had been shut down several years previously.[19] In 2019, and reopened in 2024 splinter groups in Western Australia were said to be feuding with each other.[20]

Netherlands

In the Netherlands, Satudarah MC had the reputation of being extremely violent and ruthless, more so than the local chapter of the Hells Angels.[6] [21] On 18 June 2018, the Dutch justice system announced a complete ban on the motorcycle club. The court imposed an immediate civil ban of all chapters and related clubs.[22] Membership was originally mostly ethnic Moluccan (in particular Ambonese), but the club since included members of Dutch, Surinamese and other origins.[23]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Conflict tussen Hell's Angels en Satudarah Maluku. 18 June 2011. Crimesite.nl. https://web.archive.org/web/20110630050825/http://crimesite.nl/dossier/hells-angels/21424-conflict-tussen-hells-angels-en-satudarah-.html . nl. Conflict Between Hell's Angels and Satudarah Maluku. 17 October 2023. 2011-06-30 .
  2. News: 18 October 2011. Satudarah gegroeid tot landelijke motorclub. Satudarah Grown Into a National Motorcycle Club. nl. Eindhovens Dagblad. Moordrecht. https://web.archive.org/web/20140218231819/http://www.ed.nl/algemeen/binnenland/satudarah-gegroeid-tot-landelijke-motorclub-1.682752 . 17 October 2023. 2014-02-18 .
  3. News: 18 June 2018. Rechter verbiedt motorclub Satudarah na eerder verbod Bandidos. Judge Bans Motorcycle Club Satudarah After Earlier Banning Bandidos. nl. NU.nl. 17 October 2023.
  4. Web site: De opmars van Satudarah. Wely. Mick van. 1 May 2012. Mickvanwely.nl. nl. The Rise of Satudarah. 17 October 2023.
  5. News: 29 April 2012. Gevreesde motorbende komt naar Antwerpen. Feared Motorcycle Gang Comes to Antwerp. nl. VRT NWS. 17 October 2023.
  6. News: 29 April 2012. Motorclub Satudarah naar België en Duitsland. Motorcycle Club Satudarah to Belgium and Germany. nl. NU.nl. 17 October 2023.
  7. News: 2 October 2014. Politie rolt Satudarah in Zweden op. Police Round up Satudarah in Sweden. nl. NU.nl. 17 October 2023.
  8. News: 24 February 2015. Duitsland verbiedt motorclub Satudarah. Germany Bans Motorcycle Club Satudarah. nl. Nederlandse Omroep Stichting. 17 October 2023.
  9. Web site: ECLI:NL:RBDHA:2018:7183. 18 June 2018. Rechtspraak.nl. de Rechtspraak. nl. 17 October 2023.
  10. News: 18 June 2019. Satudarah ook in hoger beroep verboden. Satudarah Also Banned on Appeal. nl. Nederlandse Omroep Stichting. 17 October 2023.
  11. News: 13 November 2020. Hoge Raad houdt verbod motorclub Satudarah in stand. Supreme Court Upholds Ban on Motorcycle Club Satudarah. nl. Nederlandse Omroep Stichting. 17 October 2023.
  12. Web site: Informatie voor de pers over Satudarah Motorcycle club. Elsevier Weekblad. https://web.archive.org/web/20140319034451/http://www.elsevier.nl/PageFiles/62366/003_RBIAdam-download-ELSEVIER312068D01.pdf . nl. Information for the Press About Satudarah Motorcycle Club. 17 October 2023. 2014-03-19 .
  13. News: 1 May 2012. Satudarah breidt uit in het noorden. Satudarah Expands in the North. nl. Algemeen Dagblad. https://web.archive.org/web/20120502024533/https://www.ad.nl/ad/nl/1012/Nederland/article/detail/3249026/2012/05/01/Satudarah-breidt-uit-in-het-noorden.dhtml . 17 October 2023. 2012-05-02 .
  14. News: Hansson. Ola. 12 December 2013. Kriminellt mc-gäng etablerat i Sverige. Criminal Motorcycle Gang Established in Sweden. sv. Expressen. 17 October 2023.
  15. News: Flandersnews.be. 29 April 2012. Dutch bikers' gang expands to Belgium. Radio Netherlands Worldwide. https://web.archive.org/web/20120429213403/http://www.rnw.nl/english/bulletin/dutch-bikers-gang-expands-belgium . 17 October 2023. 2012-04-29 .
  16. News: 2 June 2012. Niederländischer Rockerclub expandiert: Bandidos erhalten Unterstützung. Dutch Biker Club Expands: Bandidos Receive Support. de. Die Tageszeitung. Duisburg. 17 October 2023.
  17. News: Jørstad. Runar Henriksen. Zondag. Martin H.W.. Ighoubah. Farid. 24 June 2014. Beryktet MC-klubb etablerer seg i Norge. Notorious MC Club Establishes Itself in Norway. no. NRK. 17 October 2023.
  18. News: Walsh. Rourke. Miranda. Charles. 27 April 2019. Feared bikie gang Satudarah makes bid to return to WA after being banned from Australia five years ago. The West Australian. 30 April 2019.
  19. News: Ralston. Nick. 11 January 2016. Satudarah outlaw motorcycle club shut down: police. The Sydney Morning Herald. 17 October 2023.
  20. News: Walsh. Rourke. 24 May 2019. World's fiercest bikie mob Saturdarah Motorcycle Club on brink of WA war. The West Australian. 25 May 2019.
  21. Web site: Satudarah MC (Motorcycle Club). Onepercenterbikers.com. 14 November 2015 . 17 October 2023.
  22. News: Haenen. Marcel. 18 June 2018. Rechtbank verbiedt motorclub Satudarah. Court Bans Motorcycle Club Satudarah. nl. NRC Handelsblad. 17 October 2023.
  23. Web site: Panorama: 'Molukkers zijn krijgers'. 14 September 2011. Camilleri.nl. https://web.archive.org/web/20111119215233/http://www.camilleri.nl/2011/09/panorama-molukkers-zijn-krijgers/ . nl. Panorama: "Moluccans Are Warriors". 17 October 2023. 2011-11-19 .

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