On the last weekend of June (2012) hundreds of Bandidos members met in Grasse, a small town on the French Riviera. Bikers from all over Europe, some as far away as Finland, came to pay homage to their lost brothers from the various French chapters of the motorcycle club. The Grasse chapter alone has lost five members over the last 23 years.
According to reports bikers started arriving at the Grasse clubhouse midweek. A steady flow continued to arrive daily, until the clubhouse property was full. It was quite a sight to see so many club colors and different chapter patches from France, Spain, Germany, Italy, and on and on. Despite being from different countries and cultures, the brotherhood among the Bandidos could never be questioned if you were fortunate enough to observe the event.
If you regularly follow news of biker clubs around the world you know these sorts of gatherings are not unusual. Even when you're talking about chapters on different continents, separated by vast oceans, they have a common bond of brotherhood in their club patches and colors. A patched member of a motorcycle club is as loyal to members halfway around the world as he is to those in his own local chapter. That tight brotherhood is one of the things that draw bikers to these clubs.
The embroidered patch bearing the Bandidos logo shows a caricature of a Mexican Bandido with sword, pistol, and sombrero. It is rather unassuming and not all what you would expect if you believe everything you see on television. Regardless of what you might think about motorcycle clubs, this was a group in France whose only purpose in getting together was to remember those who've passed on before.
