The Public Prosecution Service has asked the Noord-Holland court to ban the Hardliners motorcycle club and to dissolve the association. The petition was submitted to the District Court of Noord-Holland on 31 August. There is also a criminal investigation into the Hardliners Motorcycle Club (MC), which was founded from prison in 2019 by President Lysander de R.
Nine years in prison
Hardliners MC was formed just before the judge was due to issue a civil ban on the Hells Angels. The founder of Hardliners MC, Lysander de R. (41), was sentenced to nine years in prison in 2018 for assault, extortion, threats, arson, possession of weapons and leading the Haarlem chapter of the Hells Angels motorcycle club. According to the court, a ‘hard and beastly chapter’ was created under the leadership of De R. in which ‘a true reign of terror’ was conducted in Haarlem and the surrounding area.
National approach
According to the Public Prosecution Service, the request to ban the Hardliners is part of a national and integrated approach by the government against outlaw motorcycle gangs (OMGs). “Proceedings have already been successfully conducted against the Hells Angels, Bandidos, Catervarius Brotherhood, No Surrender, Caloh Wagoh and Satudarah,” the OM reports in a press release.
Since the establishment of Hardliners MC, the club has rapidly grown into one of the largest OMGs in the Netherlands. In 2021, the association already had 22 chapters. Many members of other banned OMGs joined the Hardliners.
Criminal cases
Hardliners MC has become the subject of several criminal investigations in recent years. The criminal case currently pending before the court in Haarlem concerns an investigation into several members of the association, including Lysander de R. They are suspected of participating in a criminal organization aimed at committing violent crimes.
‘Culture of Violence’
According to the Public Prosecution Service, the investigations show that the (board) members of the Hardliners are not only guilty of serious criminal offenses, but that a culture is also maintained within the club that expressly stimulates and facilitates the committing of violence by the members. . ‘Moreover, criminal detention of board members does not appear to be an obstacle to continuing to commit serious criminal offences. That is why a civil ban is necessary,’ writes the National Public Prosecutor’s Office.
‘The intimidating and often violent way in which Hardliners MC manifests itself in society and the way in which the club opposes – and even actively opposes – government control creates a culture of lawlessness. The structure of the club is hierarchical and very similar to that of other motorcycle clubs. There are mandatory rules that members must adhere to. For example, there is a strict obligation of secrecy to the public (omerta) and there is financial support for detained members. The board not only provides leadership, but also deliberately creates opportunities for structural violence and structural crime. There is a culture in which committing violence is normalised, carried out and stimulated.’
Violence is, as it were, in the DNA of the club. Members are expected to show a continued willingness to use violence and there may even be violent retaliation from the club if someone breaks the rules,” the petition reads.
The Public Prosecution Service has requested the court to make a provisional provision until a final decision has been made on the request.
Prison sentences
Several members of Hardliners MC have been sentenced to prison in recent years for violent extortion and hostage-taking, among other things. Club members also appeared in investigations into other acts of violence, such as arson, explosions and harassment.
Sit out
Leader Lysander De R. is said to have seriously threatened prison staff in the judicial complex in Zaanstad. De R. was arrested in his cell in July 2023 on suspicion of leading a criminal organization that commits acts of violence. The council chamber of the court in Haarlem suspended De R. from his pre-trial detention on 2 August. But the council chamber of the court also determined that the pre-trial detention has been suspended, but will remain in place for a period of 90 days.
The court only suspended the detention because R. will now first serve the remainder of the sentence he was imposed in 2018. This will last until the spring of 2024. Immediately after serving this prison sentence, the recently imposed pre-trial detention for 90 days will be revived, followed by a pro forma hearing. The R. will therefore certainly be in detention until the end of the summer 2024.
Also see:
‘Motor club leader transferred to strict prison regime’
‘Bom in Hoorn was intended for prominent Satudarah member’
