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‘I am not a Satanist’: Sweden’s ‘mad’ biker

The man whose “666” number plate was scrapped by Swedish authorities after 20 years has spoken out about the ban, political correctness in Sweden, and life as “The Mad Swede” around the world.

‘I am not a Satanist’: Sweden’s ‘mad’ biker
"The Mad Swede" in Arizona, 1991, picking up inspiration for his Swedish plate.

As news of Robert Löfgren’s “offensive” number plate has swept the globe after The Local’s report on Thursday, the owner of the motorcycle has been the subject of a veritable media storm.

“This is all getting a bit much, I was even on the television last night. But really, the whole thing is stupid, isn’t it?” Löfgren told The Local.

“After all, I’m not a Satanist.”

Click here to see more images of The Mad Swede, including with the “offensive” hog

The Swedish Road Authority (Transportstyrelsen) wrote Löfgren a letter in early June stating that his plates would be de-registered as the plates may be “offensive” to some.

The number 666 represents the antichrist or the devil in popular culture and is sometimes referred to as “the number of the beast”.

Some people take the number so seriously that they actively avoid it, a fear known as Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia.

Löfgren himself, however, has no such fear but admits that the devil did have an influence on his triple six decision.

“I’ve actually had the number plate for 20 years. I was inspired to get it after I rode my bike along what was then called The Devil’s Highway – Route 666 in the US. This was back in the days when I worked as a motorcycling journalist called ‘The Mad Swede’,” Löfgren said.

“When I got back to Sweden in 1991, someone told me my motorcycle was a beast and I figured I’d make a personalized number plate. 666 seemed like the obvious option.”

Now, Löfgren claims he felt the need to confront the agency to find out exactly how many complaints they had received about the devilish plates.

“They told me that no one has complained, but that they had decided that it might cause offence. Political correctness gone mad. The times are changing in Sweden, that’s for sure,” he told The Local.

As for now, the avid motorcyclist must choose a new plate that doesn’t rub anyone the wrong way.

“Could I change the plate to 667? Or would people be offended because that’s the neighbour of the beast. Where can we draw the line?”

Oliver Gee

Follow Oliver on Twitter here

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Eleven motorcyclists killed on German roads over long weekend

At least 11 motorcyclists died in accidents on Germany’s roads over the Easter break.

Eleven motorcyclists killed on German roads over long weekend
File picture shows the scene of motorbike crash on March 8th in Brieselang, Brandenburg. Photo: DPA

Police said a series of motorbike accidents had happened over the holiday weekend in different locations across Germany, leading to several fatalities. 

It came as new figures showed that more than one in five people killed on Germany's roads are motorcyclists, despite far fewer of them on the road compared with other drivers.

Of the 3,265 people who died on roads nationwide last year, 699 were motorcyclists, according to the Federal Statistical Office.

Spate of deadly crashes over the Easter weekend

In Posthausen, Lower Saxony on Good Friday, a 20-year-old woman motorcyclist died after colliding with a crash barrier.

At Kirchen in Rhineland-Palatinate, a 37-year-old biker was involved in a crash with oncoming traffic  on Saturday night and died at the scene, police said.

Meanwhile, in Essen, North-Rhine Westphalia, a 44-year-old motorcyclist was pronounced dead at the scene of a crash on Saturday.

At Geislingen, Baden-Württemberg, a 51-year-old lost control of his motorbike while overtaking a vehicle on Easter Sunday, according to police reports. He collided with the crash barrier. A rescue helicopter flew the biker to a clinic where he later died.

Near Rechberghausen, a 69-year-old biker was killed when he overtook a car with a trailer on a country road.

On Good Friday a motorcyclist had died in Schwanau, also Baden-Württemberg, when a 26-year-old who was driving a car collided head-on with a motorcycle while overtaking.

'Many underestimate demanding routes'

Police said speeding and a lack of knowledge of routes were often partly to blame for accidents involving motorbikes. 

“Many underestimate the long journey or the demanding routes,” a police spokesman said.

As reported by regional news site, Stuttgarter Nachrichten, and other German media outlets,the fatalities took place during a sunny Easter weekend across the country – weather which may have encouraged more motorcyclists out onto the roads. 

In Hesse’s Biebergemünd, a 48-year-old motorcyclist was involved in a crash over the weekend. He died at the scene. On Autobahn 3 near Frankfurt am Main, a 66-year-old biker crashed. He was taken to hospital but later died.

On Monday evening, a man died in an accident in the Kassel district between Schauenburg and Habichtswald. While trying to overtake a vehicle, the 61-year-old lost control and crashed into an oncoming car on Autobahn 44, police said.

Near Quedlinburg in Saxony-Anhalt, a biker collided head-on with a car and died at the scene of the accident.

A similar crash occurred near Elbingerode in the Harz Mountains on Saturday. According to the police, a motorcyclist drove into the oncoming lane at a right-hand bend and collided with a car. He died at the scene.

It comes after six people tragically died in motorbike crashes during the first weekend of April in North Rhine-Westphalia.

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