An outlaw motorcycle club, known colloquially as a biker gang or motorcycle gang, is a motorcycle subculture generally centered on the use of cruiser motorcycles, particularly Harley-Davidsons and choppers, and a set of ideals that purport to celebrate freedom, nonconformity to mainstream culture, and loyalty to the biker group.
The Mongols Motorcycle Club, also known as the Mongol Brotherhood or Mongol Nation, is an international outlaw motorcycle club. Originally formed in Montebello, California, in 1969, the club is headquartered in Southern California. Although the Mongols' main presence lies in California, they also have chapters nationwide in 14 states and internationally in 11 countries. Law enforcement officials estimate approximately 2,000 "full-patched" members are in the club. The Mongols are the fifth-largest outlaw biker club in the world, after the Hells Angels, the Bandidos, the Outlaws and the Pagans.
There are numerous gangs in New Zealand, of varying criminality, organisation and ethnicity, including outlaw motorcycle gangs, street gangs and ethnically based gangs. A chapter of the Hells Angels motorcycle club was formed in Auckland in 1961, the first Hells Angels chapter outside the US. Soon after, the Mongrel Mob formed in Hastings and Wellington, developing into a predominantly Māori and Pacific Islander gang, and having the largest membership in the country. Through the 1960s and 1970s, other outlaw motorcycle clubs and ethnically based gangs formed, including another predominantly Māori gang, Black Power, which grew to rival the Mongrel Mob.
Organised Crime and Gangs in Australia refers to the activities of various groups of crime families, organised crime syndicates or underworld activities including drug trafficking, contract killing, racketeering and other crimes in Australia.
The Comanchero Motorcycle Club is an outlaw motorcycle gang in Australia and South East Asia. The Comancheros are participants in the United Motorcycle Council of NSW, which convened a conference in 2009 to address legislation aimed against the "bikie" clubs, their poor public image in the wake of several violent clashes and ongoing biker wars, and defusing deadly feuds such as the Comancheros' battles with the Hells Angels. The sincerity of these efforts to defend the battered image of the clubs has been met with skepticism.
The Finks is an Australian outlaw motorcycle club that was formed in Adelaide, Australia, in 1969 and now also has chapters in other states. The name comes from The Wizard of Id cartoon where the peasants, to his dismay, often proclaim, "The King is a fink!". The logo used by the Finks is of Bung, the king's jester. The pants worn by the jester used to differ in colour depending on the state the chapter resides in.
The history of gangs in Australia goes back to the colonial era. Criminal gangs flourished in The Rocks district of Sydney in its early history in the 19th century. The Rocks Push was a notorious larrikin gang which dominated the area from the 1800s to the end of the 1900s. The gang was engaged in running warfare with other larrikin gangs of the time such as the Straw Hat Push, the Glebe Push, the Argyle Cut Push, the Forty Thieves from Surry Hills, and the Gibb Street Mob.
The Gypsy Joker Motorcycle Club (GJMC), are a "one-percenter" motorcycle club that was originally formed in San Bernardino, California on April Fool's Day, 1956. Though founded in the United States, the MC expanded successfully overseas and is now one of the most notorious and feared motorcycle clubs in Australia, USA and Norway.
The Rebels Motorcycle Club is an outlaw motorcycle club. At its peak in Australia, it had around 170 chapters and over 10,000 members and associates nationwide, making it the largest club in the country at the time. It was founded by Clint Jacks in Brisbane, Queensland, in 1969 and was originally named the "Confederates". Their insignia is a Confederate flag with a cap-wearing skull and 1% patch in the centre. The Australian government and law enforcement consider the Rebels to be a criminal organisation, but the club claims to be a group of motorcycle enthusiasts rather than gangsters.
Vicious Lawless Association Disestablishment Act 2013 was an act of the Parliament of Queensland, enacted to "severely punish members of criminal organisations that commit serious offences". The act aimed to "come down harshly on outlaw motorcycle gangs and their members" and was one of three passed in the same session on 16 October 2013, going into effect immediately. The associated acts enacted on the same date were the Criminal Law Amendment Act 2013 and the Tattoo Parlours Act 2013.
Tattoo Parlours Act 2013 is an anti-gang, anti-crime act of the Parliament of Queensland to establish a regulatory framework, including occupational licensing, for the tattoo industry in Queensland, Australia. The associated Acts enacted on the same date were the Criminal Law Amendment Act 2013 and the Vicious Lawless Association Disestablishment Act 2013. The Acts were passed on 16 October 2013, and as of 17 October 2013, the Attorney-General of Queensland had indicated that they had received Royal Assent; Part 9 of Tattoo Parlours Act 2013, which amends the Liquor Act 1992, came into force at that time. The rest of this Act was to commence "on a day fixed by proclamation." The relevant Minister is required to review the Act after 3 years.
The Nomads Motorcycle Club is an outlaw motorcycle club in Australia with a large number of chapters and members nationwide. It was founded in Newcastle in 1968. A number of countries have motorcycle clubs called "Nomads Motorcycle Club", e.g. Australia, South Africa and Germany, and there is a Nomads gang in New Zealand.
The Coffin Cheaters are an international outlaw motorcycle club that was formed in Perth, Western Australia (WA), in 1970. The Perth-based Coffin Cheaters amalgamated in 1999 with a previously unrelated club in Victoria called Coffin Cheaters, and later "patched over" two Norwegian gangs, Forbidden Few MC and Wizard MC, in 2004 and 2005 respectively. The Coffin Cheaters were the first Australian gang to expand internationally.
The Mobshitters Motorcycle Club, is a "one-percenter" outlaw motorcycle club in Australia with around four chapters.
Notorious is a former gang that was based in Sydney, Australia. They claimed to be an outlaw motorcycle club; however, not all members ride motorcycles. A large percentage of its membership consisted of petty criminals, with no real history of bikers among their ranks. Its emblem features a skull with a turban brandishing twin pistols and the words "Original Gangster" beneath it, along with the motto "Only the dead see the end of war". Labeled as one of Australia's most dangerous gangs, they had been feuding with larger and well-known motorcycle gangs including the Hells Angels and the Bandidos. It was thought that as of March 2012 the gang no longer existed as an organised structure after being dismantled by a police operation arresting key members and with other members choosing to quit the gang life. This served to reinforce claims by established MCs that Notorious wasn't a genuine club.
The Bandidos Motorcycle Club is classified as a motorcycle gang by law enforcement and intelligence agencies in numerous countries. While the club has denied being a criminal organization, Bandidos members have been convicted of partaking in criminal enterprises including theft, extortion, prostitution, drug trafficking and murder in various host nations.
The Hells Angels Motorcycle Club (HAMC), an international outlaw biker gang, has been involved in multiple crimes, alleged crimes, and violent incidents in Australia. The Hells Angels are legally classified as a criminal organisation in the Australian state of Queensland, and there have been attempts to classify them as such in New South Wales. The Hells Angels have been linked with drug trafficking and production, as well as a host of violent crimes including murder, in Australia.
The Black Uhlans Motorcycle Club are an Australian "one-percenter" outlaw motorcycle club. Maintaining several chapters throughout the country, the club has been described by law enforcement as one of the most dangerous organized crime gangs in the state of Victoria and are said to be among the wealthiest, if not, wealthiest of Australia's outlaw bikie groups.
