Dutch Motorcycle Gang Members Join Kurds Against ISIS

October 16, 2014 - The Netherlands, also known as Holland, has some bad-ass biker dudes. One of them, a notorious band of brothers called "No Surrender," has already branched out internationally. The Dutch bikers (citizens of Holland are called Dutch, for those of you who don't know) are just itching to bash ISIS and bring some tough justice to Syria and Iraq.

Posted to Twitter by @KoerdenNL, October 9

Three members of  No Surrender who have military backgrounds already went to Iraq and Syria last week to help Kurdish troops fight Islamic State (IS). That would have been illegal just days ago, but their government has given them a green light. This is not an official No Surrender action, however.

BBC News reports that No Surrender's leader, Klaas Otto, says the men went to fight on their own, independently of their club. 

Otto told Dutch broadcaster Omroep Brabant, "They are trained guys with lots of experience - with foreign missions," and that the three volunteer fighters "are extremely disciplined. They don't drink any alcohol, not even on club evenings." Of their motivation, he said, "They wanted to do something when they saw the pictures of the beheadings."

"The story emerged after photos began circulating on social media," says BBC (see photo above,  video below). "One shows a man dressed in green military fatigues, clutching a Kalashnikov, sitting alongside a Kurdish fighter."

AFP reports that Holland's public prosecutor spokesman Wim de Bruin said, "Joining a foreign armed force was previously punishable, now it's no longer forbidden," public prosecutor spokesman Wim de Bruin told AFP

Klaas Otto, No Surrender

"You just can't join a fight against the Netherlands," he told AFP after reports emerged that Dutch bikers from the No Surrender gang were fighting IS insurgents alongside Kurds in northern Iraq.
The head of No Surrender, Klaas Otto, told state broadcaster NOS that three members who traveled to near Mosul in northern Iraq were from Dutch cities Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Breda.

It's illegal for citizens of Holland to join ISIS (Islamic State) because it's considered to be a terrorist organization. And it is still against the law for Dutch citizens to join the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) because it's considered to be a terrorist organization by Holland and many other countries. De Bruin pointed out that Dutch citizens fighting on the Kurdish side could still be in serious legal trouble if they commit crimes such as torture or rape. "But this is also happening a long way away and so it'll be very difficult to prove," said De Bruin. (Wink, wink.)

No Surrender is not the first motorcycle club whose members have fought against ISIS in Syria, however. 







Also See: 

• Scary Dutch Biker Gang Versus... ISIS? Bustle.com
• No Surrender's website
• Meet the Kurdish Motorcycle Gang Helping Syrian Refugees in Iraq VICE News