Police patrolled Helsinki Airport with a submachine gun visible. Photo: Jussi Nukari / Lehtikuva
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Police and border authorities in Finland prevented dozens of foreign members of the Bandidos motorcycle club from entering the country on Friday evening as the gang prepared to celebrate the 30th anniversary of its Finnish chapter in Helsinki.
Helsingin Sanomat was the first to report the operation, which took place at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport and involved collaboration between the police, Border Guard, and customs officers. The action drew public attention as several passengers arriving from European cities were stopped and questioned upon landing.
According to Helsinki Police Superintendent Henri Helminen, the operation was part of increased monitoring tied to the biker gang’s gathering. “Police intensified checks on entry and residence in cooperation with the Border Guard,” he told Helsingin Sanomat. He confirmed the operation was connected to the Bandidos event.
The authorities did not report any change in the general threat level. However, Helminen said that past legal rulings support the police interpretation of Bandidos activities as being associated with organised crime. “Naturally, we increase surveillance when such an event is taking place,” he said.
At least 20 to 30 foreign members were refused entry and deported, according to Antti Kainulainen, the president of Bandidos Finland. He told Helsingin Sanomat on Saturday that the members were stopped at the border and ordered to return to their home countries.
The deported individuals arrived from across Europe to attend the anniversary event, which Kainulainen confirmed was a private celebration. Most of them were not wearing gang insignia during travel, but reportedly had club vests in their luggage.
Kainulainen criticised the uniform treatment of all arriving members. “Even those without criminal records were given three- to five-year entry bans,” he said. He called the police action an abuse of law and questioned the legal grounds, referencing a 2011 Finnish Supreme Court decision that ruled Bandidos Helsinki was not a criminal organisation.
He also claimed that an unresolved legal case, in which the National Police Board is seeking to ban Bandidos and its subgroups, was used as the basis for some of the entry refusals. “The same written notice was handed to dozens of people. Shouldn’t each case be evaluated individually?” he said.
Kainulainen added that the members were unaware they would be denied entry and criticised the lack of prior notice from Finnish authorities.
Eyewitnesses at Helsinki Airport described the scale of the operation. A passenger on a flight from Copenhagen told Ilta-Sanomat that police were stationed at the jet bridge, checking passports of all arriving passengers before allowing them into the terminal. “There were many officers, including police, customs agents, and border guards,” said the passenger, Joonatan Sirkka.
Superintendent Helminen declined to specify how many individuals were refused entry, stating that the operational phase is still ongoing. He said police will turn back any person who does not meet the requirements for staying in the country, regardless of club affiliation.
No public events, parades, or demonstrations have been announced in connection with the gathering. Helminen confirmed the police had received no prior notification from the group. Authorities have not disclosed whether further enforcement actions will occur during the weekend.
HT
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Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi
