Members of the Bandidos motorcycle gang who had purchased and been occupying a property in Copenhagen’s Vanløse neighbourhood were supposed to vacate the premises by the time fireworks rang in the new year. The city had served notice that the gang’s use of the home as a clubhouse violated a 1918 housing clause stating that the property can only be used as a family home.
READ MORE: Bikers tossed out of Vanløse
The bikers remain in the home, and have filed an appeal with Natur og Miljøklagenævnet, the environmental appeals board, to overturn the city’s decision to toss them out.
Neighbours who had been looking forward to seeing the taillights of the gangs' motorcycles expressed disappointment at the delay.
“We are obviously annoyed and disappointed,” Mette Fløjborg, who lives across from the bikers, told DR Nyheder. “We hope it will happen, be have always had a ‘we’ll believe it when we see it’ attitude.”
Neighbours remain frightened
Fløjborg says that as long as the bikers remain in the house, she fears for the safety of her two young sons.
She pointed out that her neighbour, Lars Georg Jensen, who has been vocal in his opposition to the bikers being in the neighbourhood, has had his house vandalised a number of times and was the victim of a burglary just a few days ago. Police have yet to connect the Bandidos to any of those crimes.
Two City Council members – Jakob Hougaard (S) and Jakob Næsager (K) – have fought long and hard to get the bikers evicted from the house, and they say that the appeal should not prevent them from being tossed out.
“Usually, appeals do not suspend the process, so the order remains in force, and it is up to the police to enforce the law,” Næsager told DR Nyheder.
Hougaard said that if the bikers failed to move out while the appeal was being considered, the city would take the “drastic step” of starting criminal proceedings.
Bikers not backing down
The lawyer representing the Bandidos member who owns the home said that they are ready for a fight.
“We will take the case all the way to the Supreme Court if necessary,” Michael Juul Eriksen told Dr Nyheder. Eriksen said that he believed that the Bandidos have the right to remain in the house pending the outcome of their appeal.
The saga of bikers in Vanløse has been going on since last July. In October, the gang told neighbours that they would be glad to move out, provided that the neighbours paid them 500,000 kroner.
