It's been 36 years of a concentration that "has always been one of friendship and brings together people from all over the world." The Motorcycle Club of Faro will promote a new edition of its International Motorbike Concentration from tomorrow, Thursday, July 19th, until Sunday, July 22nd, and José Amaro, president of the Farense association, believes that the event will «run well, as always ran".
“The perspectives are the same as in previous years. Let's hope that it will be a good concentration, a good event, that everything goes well and that there is a great motorcycle atmosphere and friendship between all the people who come», José Amaro told Sul Informação.
Despite the news that has been made public that the Concentration of Motorcycles Faro could be used to settle accounts between groups biker rivals Hells Angels and Los Bandidos, both strongly associated with organized crime and who already have a large presence in Europe (both were born in the United States of America), the president of the Motoclube de Faro, who organizes the event, believes that this will not happen and that the information that the media has been conveying is “bloated”.
What is certain is that the police authorities and the intelligence services are taking the possibility of confrontations between the two organizations very seriously during the concentration. According to the Público newspaper, several European police are monitoring the movements of members of Hells Angels motorcycle groups from other countries, due to the fear that elements of this organization will travel to Portugal for the 37th International Motorbike Concentration.
At issue is a possible revenge for the arrest of 59 members of the organization in Portugal. A week ago, the Judiciary Police launched a mega operation nationwide, which involved more than 400 inspectors of this police force, who carried out nearly 100 searches in five districts of the country, including the Algarve, where the Hells Angels have a strong presence.
In this operation, 58 people were detained - plus one in Germany -, of which 39 were in preventive detention, SIC Notícias reported this Wednesday. Defendants who were released are prohibited from participating in the Motoclube de Faro.
Earlier this week, several national media said that the date to launch this operation was closely linked to an alert made by the Information and Security Service (SIS) to the PJ, that the group Los Bandidos was planning an attack on the their rivals, during the rally, which involved mass trampling, as revenge against the aggression that three of its members were targeted in a brawl that took place in a restaurant in Prior Velho, in March.
José Amaro admits that this type of news “always cause some concern”, but says he trusts the authorities' work to avoid problems.
“We're going to have the same safety device we had last year. Everything that happens outside the event will have to be resolved by the authorities», he considers.
From the PSP, comes the guarantee that the security device will be reinforced in 2018. In statements to the Public, a representative of this police force said that, this year, more elements of the Intervention Corps and the Non-Cinotechnic Operational Group will be highlighted. only for Faro, but for the whole Algarve.
However, the GNR announced that it is preparing "a high-visibility security operation" during the rally..
The focus of the operation will be accesses to the city of Faro, Vale das Almas and Praia de Faro, as well as the main access roads to the Algarve. The patrol will target not only motorcyclists, but also motorists and the general public.
José Amaro only hopes that the security measures will not cause any inconvenience to the majority of the participants in the concentration. “We're talking about a minimal percentage of people who don't behave up to it. One cannot confuse one thing with another, we must separate the wheat from the chaff,” he said.
However, in Vale das Almas, in the middle of the Ludo forest, near the airport of Faro, the days before the concentration are busy, as always. After all, it is necessary to prepare an enclosure to accommodate more than 20 thousand people, which in addition to a space for concerts and enjoyment, also includes a camping area.
"This year, we are aiming for the 18 thousand entries, which would give 20 or so thousand people", revealed the president of the Motoclube de Faro, numbers in line with those of recent years.
The party that is wanted is that of "friends' reunions", which, in this case, are also attended by those who take the stage. In 2018, the headlines are Xutos e Pontapés, a Portuguese cult band whose guitarist, the popular Zé Pedro, died at the end of 2017.
«The Xutos are already, in a way, part of the furniture, so it will always be a special moment», taking into account the recent disappearance of Zé Pedro, says José Amaro.
Another big name on the poster is Jorge Palma, who is also an icon of Portuguese music. The program also includes performances by Who is Bob? and Vítor Bacalhau, by the Spaniards Mago de Oz and Obus, and by the British Black Star Riders and Voodoo Six.
In 2018, new tickets were also introduced. In addition to registration for the full event, which costs 45 euros, anyone who wants can opt to only register from 12:00 on Saturday, paying 30 euros for that. This last modality "does not include meals or raffles", according to the Motoclube de Faro.
The 45-euro registration entitles "a bag containing the official t-shirt, medal, sticker and meal tickets", as well as the possibility of winning "a new motorcycle and a week in Daytona", which will be raffled. It also gives access to the camping area and the free bus from the concentration to Faro quality Faro for the gathering from 11:00 am on Thursday until 8:00 am on Sunday».
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