Biker gang holds anniversary gathering in Helsinki under police watch
https://yle.fi/a/74-20180210 August 30, 2025
Checks have been reinforced with the Border Guard, particularly with police carrying out an operation at Helsinki Airport on Friday evening.
The Bandidos motorcycle gang is holding a celebration in Helsinki this weekend, with members attending from outside Finland.
“Police have stepped up monitoring of entry and residence in the country in connection with the event,” said Henri Helminen, superintendent and head of emergency operations at Helsinki Police.
Checks have been reinforced with the Border Guard, particularly at Helsinki Airport and at ferry terminals. Police carried out an operation at the airport on Friday evening.
“There is no information in advance about a concrete rise in the threat level, but based on previous court rulings police interpret the club’s activities as linked to organised crime. Naturally, police will step up surveillance when this kind of event is taking place,” Helminen said.
Ilta-Sanomat earlier reported that police checked the passports of all passengers on an SAS flight from Copenhagen to Helsinki on Friday night. Inspections were also carried out elsewhere at the airport.
Dozens of participants, some from abroad
Helminen said dozens of members are expected to attend the event, although he did not give an exact figure.
“These aren’t exactly annual occasions – it seems to be something bigger, perhaps an anniversary,” he said.
Police have not received any advance notification of a public event, such as a parade or ride-out. Authorities have also not commented on possible deportations, but said more information would be provided later over the weekend.
According to Helsingin Sanomat, the operation prevented between 20 and 30 members from taking part in the gathering. The paper cited Bandidos president Antti Kainulainen, who said the event marked the 30th anniversary of the gang’s Finnish chapter.
******************
Police block Bandidos members from entering Finland for gang anniversary
Helsini Times Finland 30 August 2025
https://www.helsinkitimes.fi/finland/finland-news/domestic/27808-police-block-bandidos-members-from-entering-finland-for-gang-anniversary.html
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.
Comments