Well, this is just the most interesting mental image I’ve had in a long time - the Hell’s Angels will be participating in the Queen’s Golden Jubilee parade.
This has produced great irritation in Canada. The Hell’s Angels have been classed as Canada’s most active criminal gang by CSIS (our intelligence service).
Quebec is one of the most biker-intensive provinces; biker violence has hit Montreal quite hard, as detop will angrily tell you. Accordingly, the Bloc Québécois has strongly protested the inclusion of the Hells in the festivities. (Link in French.)
However, the response has been that in England, the Hells aren’t a terribly violent group of people - just your average gang of slightly overexcited motorcycle enthusiasts - and they would like to take part in the festivities like everyone else.
What do you think? Brit Dopers, is this characterization of the Hells accurate? Even if it is, is the inclusion of the British Hells insensitive to Canadians? After all, she’s been Canada’s Queen for 50 years too.
I saw an interview with the ‘leader’ of this group a couple of days ago and from what I could tell, they’re all middle-aged accountant types who love bikes. You know the type; love to look mean, ‘freedom of the road’ and then back home for a nice cup of tea and the slippers.
I suppose we probably still do have kind of Hells Angels here but I don’t recall them being involved in any kind of serious organised crime – probably a little drug dealing but nothing ‘heavy’. Aren’t they sooo passé nowadays ?
BTW, the surreal moment tomorrow won’t, IMHO, be the bikers but rather Ozzy Osbourne singing ‘Paranoid’ in Queenie’s back garden during the Palace Jubilee gig – apparently he’s been asked not to swear. Looking forward to that !
Well, so long as they’re not the ones providing security…
Well, does the Queen want them at her party?
It’s hard to imagine the guys wearing leathers and riding Harleys on weekends (the sort that seem to be riding in the queen’s parade) being the same guys engaged in the sophisticated multi-million dollar cocaine smuggling (re-fitting freighters, dropping containers into the sea with transponders attached, etc etc).
They might be at the very end of the supply chain, but so are lots of people. If the parade is going to reflect the UK population, it’s got to have a few drug dealers!
(Must dig out and re-read Hunter S Thompson’s classic “Hells Angels”)