Dutch bikies join fight against Islamic State in Iraq
Outlaw Dutch bikers have teamed up with Kurdish fighters to take on Islamic State militants in Iraq and Dutch authorities have no problem with it.
No Surrender motorcycle club head Klaas Otto told Dutch broadcasters that three members from Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Breda were fighting outside Mosul in northern Iraq, reported Agence France-Presse.
A Dutch-Kurdish Twitter account has been created and shows a photo of one the men named 'Ron', reported NYPost.com.
He poses with a Kurdish fighter in a fortified bunker while holding a Kalashnikov assault rifle and 'victory' sign in the image.
"Ron from The Netherlands has joined the Kurds to exterminate the rodents of [Islamic State]," the photo's caption reads.
Supporters from across the globe have taken to Twitter to show their support for the bikies.
"Dutch bikers strapping it with the Kurds has made my day," posted Twitter user named modn world from West London.
"Looking forward to the Deadliest Warriors special — Dutch Bikers vs The Islamic State," wrote Brown Moses.
Yet a video on the club's YouTube page has raised questions over how ready the bikies are to take on militant fighters.
The video shows mostly middle-aged chubby men without shirts, dancing with topless dancers to the gang’s theme song, No Surrender Is Here to Stay.
While Dutch citizens who join IS militants face punishment from the Dutch government, the bikers will not face the same fate because they are not committing a crime.
European countries including the Netherlands are taking a tough stance against people joining IS with authorities confiscating would-be jihadis’ passports before they had the chance to travel.
Authorities have also threatened to prosecute them for war crimes if they returned.
"Joining a foreign armed force was previously punishable. Now it’s no longer forbidden," said Wim de Bruin, a spokesman for the Dutch public prosecutor. "You just can’t join a fight against the Netherlands."
"The big difference with [Islamic State] is that it’s listed as a terrorist group," Mr de Bruin said. "That means that even preparing to join [Islamic State] is punishable."
No Surrender is one of the Netherlands’ biggest motorcycle clubs.
