Hells Angels in race war with "jackals"

Published on 7 July 2009

Over the last ten years, not much has been heard of Denmark's Hells Angels. But as daily Politiken now reports, the bikers are well and truly back in the news with a gang war that resulted in two deaths in early July — adding to an overall total of six murders since August 2008. The last time such an outbreak of violence occurred was in 1996-1997, when the Hell's Angels fought a prolonged battle with another traditional gang, the Bandidos. However, this latest conflict has racist connotations, because the members of the opposing gang, Black Ghost, all have immigrant backgrounds.

In a recently published manifesto, the Hells Angels claim they are fighting to protect Denmark from from the "jackal mentality" that "characterises" Arabs and Muslims. According to a poll in Politiken - which leads with the headline "Denmark fears a full blown race war" - 65% of Danes are worried the gang fight might lead to a wider conflict. However, police believe the feud is prompted by a conflict over the illegal drugs market.

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