United Brotherhood, Bad Union banned

The district court of Eastern Uusimaa on Monday declared the unregistered associations called United Brotherhood (UB) and Bad Union (BU) dissolved.

The district court opined in its judgment that the activities of UB and BU were in such a flagrant violation of law that they have to be dissolved in the public interest, said the National Police Board in a press release on Tuesday.

Warning cannot be deemed a sufficient sanction. Therefore, UB and BU have to be declared dissolved, the court observed.

The court considered it had been proved in the matter that all the criteria of a prohibited association referred to in section 3 of the Finnish Associations Act are met with regard to the activities of UB as well as BU as a part of its operation. Thus, UB and BU are prohibited associations as intended in the provision.

The operation of UB and BU has been clearly contrary to criminal law as is substantiated by numerous felony convictions.

Hence the district court finds that the activities of UB and BU were substantially in defiance of the law. Considering the accounts of the activities of UB and BU, the district court deems that their activities were also materially contrary to good manners.

The action for dissolution of the organisations was brought by special prosecutor of the Southern Finland Prosecution District and the National Police Board on 6 September 2019.

The district court ruling is the first of its kind concerning a group in organised crime in Finland. In Europe, decisions concerning prohibition of operation of groups have been made in the Netherlands, Germany, and Poland.