Norway bans local chapter of ‘criminal’ motorcycle club Satudarah

Norway’s highest court on Wednesday called the Norwegian arm of Dutch motorcycle club Satudarah a criminal association and banned the group, saying it was necessary to prevent serious crime.

The Supreme Court said participants in the club, known for a history of violent crime, extortion, illegal drug trade, and arms trafficking allegations, “repeatedly committed serious offences against someone’s life, health and freedom,” and that their actions were “apt to cause fear in the population”.

The court added that although Satudarah describes itself as a motorcycle club and is open to ethnic minorities, participants didn’t need to have a motorcycle or a license to join.

“Nor does the club aim to promote multi-ethnic interests,” it wrote.

The Supreme Court also noted that the gang describes “itself as a so-called 1% club — a term normally used for motorcycle clubs that live on the fringes of society’s laws and rules.”

Crackdowns

According to Norwegian broadcaster NRK, Satudarah set foot in Norway in 2014. Last year, police asked courts to ban Satudarah because of its alleged criminal activities, which were said to include drug offences and violent clashes with other gangs.

The charges were brought under a 2021 law allowing the government to ban organisations wholesale if they could be proven to be participating in criminality.

Satudarah won the original case, but the government appealed it, resulting in the Supreme Court’s judgment.

The club originated in the Netherlands, where it was started by mostly Moluccan immigrants. Its name means “One Blood” in Indonesian Malay. The Dutch authorities eventually banned it, as did Germany in 2015.

In neighbouring Denmark, the local chapter dissolved itself in May 2023 and became Comanches MC. In Sweden, the chapter was disbanded after all of its members were arrested for drug-related offences and gun possession.

In Europe, Satudarah MC has established a local presence in Austria, Bosnia, Serbia, Belgium, France, Spain and elsewhere.