Edith Hejberg
The clubs fuse physical fitness with fascist propaganda, promoting racial supremacy and preparing members for violent confrontation.
Neo-Nazi fight clubs, born in the United States, have now spread to 27 countries, according to a new report by the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism (GPAHE). These groups, blending martial arts training with far-right ideology, are gaining traction across Europe, the UK, the Nordic countries, and increasingly in Latin America.
A Modern-Day Echo of the Brownshirts
These fight clubs serve as the training grounds for what extremists call “street soldiers”, a disturbing modern version of Hitler’s paramilitary Brownshirts.
The clubs fuse physical fitness with fascist propaganda, promoting racial supremacy and preparing members for violent confrontation.
Recruitment Through Combat Sports
The appeal of martial arts and UFC-style fighting has become a recruiting tool. Neo-Nazi leaders encourage followers to train in combat sports not just for fitness, but to become physically intimidating enforcers of their ideology.
From American Streets to Global Pavements
Masked men chanting racist slogans may be a familiar sight in the U.S., but similar scenes are now playing out abroad.
Countries such as Sweden, Australia, Finland, and Switzerland are seeing local versions of these fight clubs emerge.
Canada’s Troubling New Chapter
In June, dozens of masked men gathered outside City Hall in London, Ontario, Canada, chanting “Mass deportations now!” The city, already scarred by past KKK activity and a 2021 hate-motivated killing, has now seen the emergence of an “active club” that’s spreading to other cities like Toronto.
A Violent Blueprint with Nazi Roots
The fight clubs echo Nazi ideals of hyper-masculinity and are often inspired by the hooligan culture surrounding European football gangs.
These groups don’t just share ideology—they train together, radicalize each other.
Robert Rundo: The Architect of the Movement
At the center of this movement is Robert Rundo, founder of the U.S.-based Rise Above Movement. Rundo, convicted for violent acts at the 2017 Charlottesville rally, later fled to Europe before being extradited from Romania.
Though he may not be directly managing global cells, his influence remains foundational.
“Active Clubs”: A Global Franchise of Hate
The “active club” model that Rundo helped inspire has become a franchise-style network. Local chapters often operate in gyms or parks, cloaked under the guise of fitness groups, while quietly indoctrinating members with fascist and white supremacist ideas.
Patriotic Front: Expanding the Extremist Playbook
The U.S.-based Patriotic Front has also adopted the active club model. With slick branding and organized marches, they use martial arts training as both a recruitment method and a form of radical preparation, grooming a new generation of extremists.
A Growing International Threat
With confirmed operations across 27 countries, including Chile and Colombia, these neo-Nazi fight clubs now pose a transnational security threat.
Their appeal to disaffected youth, under the guise of strength and brotherhood, makes them dangerously effective at spreading hate.
