The president of a "boxing club" that promotes far-right Turkish political positions in Germany is on trial for attempted murder. The Osmanen Germania gang is suspected of links to Turkey's ruling AK party.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/P. Zinken
Advertisement
The self-anointed "world president" of the Osmanen Germania biker gang was on trial in Stuttgart on Monday over a number of charges, including the attempted murder of a former gang member. The man, 46, has not been named due to German privacy laws.
He is one of eight men arrested during a raid earlier in the month against what purports to be a boxing club, but what prosecutors say is a gang involved in a number of criminal activities.
Aside from the attempted murder of a deserter, other charges include grievous bodily harm, predatory extortion, deprivation of liberty as well as a number of drug and weapons offenses.
Knives and other weapons seized in police raids on the Osmanen Germania gangImage: picture-alliance/dpa/K. Nguyen
'This is not a goodwill organization'
"This is not the boxing club as it was legally established. This is also not a goodwill organization keeping kids off the streets," said Jan Holzner, a spokesman for the prosecutors, referring to the positive image the gang has tried to give itself.
The club, which was founded in either 2014 or 2015 depending on who you ask, has 33 chapters and 400 members across Germany. It is suspected of having ties to the Turkish government and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's AK party. The gang advocates an extreme far-right Turkish-nationalist agenda.
The trial opened under tight security to make sure no fellow gang members tried to free their leaders. Helicopters and hundreds of police were on duty to escort the defendants to the courtroom, and the controls for the 120 members of the public allowed to witness the trial took an extra two hours to complete.
Holzner said they had received threats, but did not offer any further details.
The trial is expected to last until January 2019.
Contentious biker garb
Two members of the Bandidos motorcycle gang sued because they weren't allowed to wear their club's jackets after some local chapters of their gang had been banned.
Image: Getty Images/S. Gallup
'Fat Mexican' not welcome
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 2012. It followed a ban of the Neumünster group in 2010. 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.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/M. Becker
A fight against a fine
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.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/F. Kraufmann
The dreaded winged death head
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.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/E. von Erichsen
More than a piece of clothing
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.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Hannibal
A means of intimidation
For the police, the jackets have less romanticized connotations. Authorities associate the leather vests with intimidation and illegal activities. In 2013, Germany's Federal Criminal Police Office said one in eight trials was connected to motorcycle clubs. Crimes included assault, drug and weapons trafficking and prostitution.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/J.W. Alker
Illegal insignia?
Opponents of a general ban of the vests criticize its underlying concept of guilt by association. A German criminal law professor recently wrote that the policy of "persecution" of members of non-banned chapters urgently needed to be changed. Whether wearing the "Fat Mexican" or a winged skull is reason enough to be taken in by police will be decided on Thursday.
