BY: ANGELA THOMPSON
Source: northqueenslandregister.com.au
Australia -
A CONTROVERSIAL
show of force by the NSW Police gangs squad at an Albion Park bike show
has prompted the region’s social motorcycle riders to band together in
protest.
More than 30 officers raided
the Fourth Reich Motorcycle Club’s annual Custom Bike and Tattoo Show,
Saturday, arresting three members of outlaw motorcycle gags.
Scores
of non-members have since claimed they were subjected to harassment by
Strike Force Raptor police who searched and photographed their cars
and bikes, and issued fines for “minor” infringements.
Oak
Flats rider Greg Jenkins, a member of the Albion Park-based social
motorcycle club The Suns, said he attended the show to “look at bikes
and support charity”, as the day is a fundraiser for the region’s aerial
patrol.
Mr Jenkins said he was made
to feel like a criminal after an officer stopped him at the entryway
and photographed his bike and jacket.
“We’re not criminals, we’re just people who enjoy the freedom of a ride,” he told the Mercury.
“I used to sell motorbikes; I’ve sold them to doctors, lawyers, police, everyone.
“As
a bike [rider] we probably do more for charity than the average person
– if it’s a good cause I’ll put everything aside and go.
“We
have little charity patches on our jackets. I’ve got another one that
says, ‘Dads Against Daughters Dating: kill the worst, the rest will
follow’.”
Mr Jenkins said police repeatedly asked him where his clubhouse was and called him a liar when he told them, “McDonald’s”.
He has created a new online community, Riders Against Discrimination, aimed at encouraging authorities to differentiate between outlaw motorcycle gangs and social clubs when dealing with riders.
The
group’s petition gathered almost 250 signatures by late Wednesday
morning, as Lake Illawarra Police Commander Superintendent Wayne
Starling met an Albion Park woman caught up in Saturday’s fracas.
Ree
Sutton was a passenger in a car that was stopped, searched and issued a
defect notice for an oil leak as her partner Paul Mines drove into the
show.
In a lengthy exchange with Mr
Mines, a Strike Force Raptor officer told him: “Do you know why
we’re targeting this club? … No. There you go. OK so stop giving this
officer such a hard time. They’re [guilty of] sexual assault. Assaults.
And standing over people ... you're supporting them. Get it through
your thick head. That's why you're here with your bonnet up against the
road, stupid.”
