Faro Bikers Festival to end, unless the police back off

The Motoclube de Faro, organisers of the annual bikers’ festival, has decided that enough is enough and have slammed the overbearing police presence and its attitude at this year’s gathering.

The Motoclube management requires "a radical change" in the size of the police force attracted by the International Motorcycle Meeting and an end to the repressive control of those participating.

If the policing doesn’t change, there will be no festival next year, simple as that, is the message from the Motoclube.

The club's management has written to the Minister of Internal Affairs, and copied the local Guarda Nacional Republicana (GNR) and the Polícia de Segurança Pública (PSP) - the two forces which have come in for some fierce criticism.

In an interview with Sul Informaçao, the President of the Motoclube de Faro, José Amaro, said that if the club was to keep the event going there needs to be a complete and radical change in the attitude and actions of the GNR and PSP, particularly in the way they deal with bikers.

While welcoming a police presence, Amaro disputes the need for a high profile, heavily armed force toting pistols, shotguns and machine guns seeing it as hardly welcoming and unnecessarily confrontational.

The bikers association says that clearly bikers are being persecuted despite their coming from all over Europe to enjoy the Faro festival and despite Amaro having meetings year after year with the local council and police - whatever is agreed never seems to happen.

This year there was a Stop operation by the traffic police focusing on motorcycles, cunningly running over the weekend of the festival. "There are people who were stopped 5 or 6 times. The Spanish coming over for the festival barely get over the Guadiana Bridge before they are stopped," said Amaro.

This year also there was a deliberately high profile police operation on Faro beach coinciding with the festival, with heavily armed police, a spectacle that distresses many visitors.

Sul Informaçao contacted the Commander of Faro GNR who admitted that he had received his copy of the letter, but that he will not make any comment on the contents.

The President of the Motoclube said that the council should stick up more for the bikers with the police which he claims are behaving in a highly discriminatory way and putting off many visitors from ever coming to Portugal again.

The Motoclube reminded the Minister of its socially responsible attitude and gave a long list of the good works and donations that it has afforded local charities when there are surplus funds at the end of the festival.

Comments  

+3 #7 Kelly 2019-04-22 09:43

Think the club needs to cancel the rally for either one or two years,take stock of the event,rethink the way it has grown,talk to local business and hoteliers even airport authority,,let them see how much income and trade they will in reality lose ,let them then get on to the said authorities ie police and government,,it’s one big money pit that they can ill afford to lose,,I say teach them a lesson in economics,,we bikers are willing to stand by moto club faro and return as its a brilliant time,but are prepared to also boycott the place till discriminatory police tactics desist,,

+2 #6 Ed 2014-08-31 11:57

Much of this is related to income targets which until a couple of years ago the police did not have. Lisbon issues targets and the police have to hit them. This presumably has seen the end of discression and an increasing necessity to fine motorists for the smallest infraction that in easier time would have remained noted but unpunished, a cracked wing mirror or dud tail light. However, attitude starts at the top and permeates any force. The Algarve police appear now to have a reputation for unhelpfulness and a robotic reach for the fines book. It shouldn't take much to identify and alter these traits, but where's the will when Lisbon is calling for more and more income?

+4 #5 Gary 2014-08-31 11:35

The Police behaviour is completely out of control and for all those people that love the Algarve there must be something that can be done. I have run a business here for the past five years and have suffered continuous harassment from the Police mainly those based at Faro airport, with a number of clients stating that they would never return to the Algarve as the treatment reminded them of a "Police" state.
With the continued and constant fear of harassment and having to work with systems from the dark ages it is becoming increasingly difficult for me to continue with the business here in the Algarve and as such I am taking a serious look at the possibility of relocating the business to the Spanish coast.
It is worth noting that at Lisbon airport there its a completely different attitude, the police cant do enough to help both us and the travelling public.

+7 #4 Bendix 2014-08-21 15:26

I blame the film - Judge Dredd. All cops want to look like him since then.

But some Transparency about what happens to the Police fines would help.

There are strong rumours that the Portuguese Police Forces are being driven towards amalgamation. Quite a sensible Troika suggestion to reduce lines of communication, duplication, waste and inefficiency.

To get the Portuguese Police to focus on what developed countries' police forces would call their 'Old Foe' - the criminal.

Rather than here - their traditional focus on topping up their low 'basic' pay with the much bigger 'commission'. Shake downs ...

Double glazing installers and Life Insurance salesmen would recognise this remuneration route.

The only difference with the Police is that they are also collecting for their 'back room' colleagues and superiors - who never meet the public. So must work all the hours God gives them (sniffle - weeping).

+13 #3 denise ford 2014-08-20 16:44

It will be such a shame to cancel this event . l don't know all the details only what iv'e been told by friends. but it seems the police seem more interested in collecting money for there coffers than the effect it will have on tourism. In the end they will loose out because people just won't bother coming to Portugal. such a shame as we love our holidays here.

+2 #2 liveaboard 2014-08-20 16:35

Maybe they just need to rename the meeting to get away from the negative stereotypes associated with the word "biker".
Like; "Meeting for enthusiasts of two-wheelers"
Or
"Festival of helmet heads"
Or
"Bicycle [fossil fuel burning type] rally"
Or
"Peace loving people who have motor vehicles with less than 4 wheels get-together"

Because the Portuguese authorities obviously assume that "biker" means criminal gang member with citation potential.

+16 #1 Carolyn Saunders 2014-08-20 08:54

really bad news. This is a major bike rally with normally good behaviour and bringing a lot of money to Faro. If the Clube goes ahead with cancelling, it will impact on the local economy.

Refresh comments list

You must be a registered user to make comments.
Please register here to post your comments.