Alexander Ritzmann
Counter Extremism Project (CEP)
September 22, 2023
- This report analyzes the potential threats affiliated with the largest and fast growing transnational right-wing extremist (RWE/REMVE)[1] combat sports network, called Active Clubs. It explores the objectives, strategies, strengths, and weaknesses of this network, which has spread from the U.S. to Canada and to at least 14 countries in Europe within three years.
- The overall objective of the Active Club White Supremacy 3.0 strategy[2] is the creation of a stand-by militia of trained and capable RWE/REMVE individuals who can be activated when the need for coordinated violent action on a larger scale arises.
- Over 100 Active Clubs have been created between late 2020 and August 2023, with at least 46 in the United States across 34 U.S. states. At least 46 Active Clubs exist in 14 European countries, and 12 in Canada. The estimated number of members per Active Club is between five and 25.
- Some Active Clubs in the U.S. are conducting or participating in military-style tactical and casualty care trainings. Members or sympathizers of Active Clubs in France and Estonia appear to be fighting in the Russia-Ukraine war.
- If Active Clubs are allowed to continue to operate and multiply, the likelihood for targeted political violence and terrorism by their members against supposed enemies of the “white race” (e.g., Jews, people of color, Muslims, and LGTBQI+ people) will increase.
- A key component of the White Supremacy 3.0 strategy is to hide in plain sight. To avoid, delay, mitigate, or withstand law enforcement interventions, Active Clubs are supposed to present a friendly face to the public. Consequently, network members are asked to avoid threatening behavior or displaying obvious Nazi symbols to appear less relevant to law enforcement. This less aggressive and more mainstream strategy is also meant to help grow the network, in particular from the general public.
- For the Active Club strategy of hiding in plain sight to work, members should look like regular guys, like the members of the (NSDAP Schutzstaffel) SS did. When recruiting, Active Club members should not talk about Jews and history. Instead, the focus in public should be on brotherhood, community, fitness, and self-defense.
- Active Club narratives are driven by curated stories of white victimhood and empowerment through white supremacy. Key slogans are “A group of strong white men is a fascist statement in itself”; “The best strategy is to be as unpolitical as possible to be as appealing as possible”; “White unity at every opportunity” and “Make fascism fun”.
- Active Clubs follow an open network approach, which encourages individuals to start their own independent local group. They are asked to carry out combat sports trainings and illegal political activism like banner drops, stickering, and graffiti tagging to promote a risk-taker mentality and to train operational and logistical capacities like scouting target locations and avoiding law enforcement. Creating local and national RWE/REMVE leadership figures in this process is another main objective.
- Several Active Club members are or previously were involved in other RWE/REMVE organizations like Patriot Front, Proud Boys, Oath Keepers, Hammerskins, and White Lives Matter.
- Women play no visible role in U.S. Active Clubs, while Active Clubs in Canada and France have female members.
- The recent arrest of Robert Rundo, the co-founder and main strategist of the Active Club network, seems to have no direct effect on the growth of the network. Rundo stated himself that the groups would run on their own now and would not need him anymore.
- The ongoing growth of the transnational militant Active Club network requires an exchange of local and national threat assessments, investigative strategies, and promising prevention as well as rehabilitation practices between policymakers and law enforcement officials of the affected countries.
More specific recommendations for policymakers and law enforcement are available upon request.
[1] Officially referred to in the United States of America as “racially or ethnically motivated violent extremism” (REMVE or RMVE)
[2] White Supremacy 3.0, called White Nationalism 3.0 or cultural model 3.0 by the Active Clubs themselves, should be understood in reference to other forms of RWE/REMVE activism, in particular street activism by Skinheads (1.0) and alt-right “keyboard warriors” (2.0).
Alexander Ritzmann 