A movement of neo-Nazi fight clubs is spreading around the globe, having grown in number by 25% in the last two years alone, according to new research published by the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism (GPAHE), building on their first report into the matter in October 2024.
According to GPAHE, there are now 187 active chapters of the Active Club (AC) across 27 countries - an increase from 149 chapters in 21 countries in 2023. AC has established chapters in countries such as Colombia, Germany, Finland, Sweden, Australia, France, the Netherlands, the UK, Switzerland, Chile, Canada and the US and growing
AC is a far-right white supremacist and antisemitic movement which is closely allied with other extremist groups such as Proud Boys, White Lives Matter and Patriot Front, as well as similar groups in Europe. It particularly focuses on recruiting teenagers, with half of the new groups being Youth Clubs which recruit boys between the ages of 15 and 18. A lot of the recruitment now occurs on TikTok.
What is the Active Club?
AC describes itself on its website as a "nationalist youth movement" which provides "a space for like-minded men of European descent to come together and build themselves through shared physical pursuits."
Members view themselves as 'fighters' who must protect the white race from the system and an impending 'race war'. According to GPAHE, the clubs teach members mixed martial arts (with many going on to compete in MMA tournaments) and prepare them to become physically-fit “ubermensch." Its logo is typically a white Celtic cross on a black background. The research found that AC is inspired by the neo-Nazi Rise Above Movement, and was established by two figures: American neo-Nazi Robert Rundo and Russian neo-Nazi Denis Kapustin. The Rise Above Movement - a militant extreme right Southern California street fighting group - was also founded by Rundo.
“It’s extremely concerning to see this network of hard-core racists increasing exponentially over the last few years,” said Wendy Via, co-founder of Global Project Against Hate and Extremism. “In addition to their rapid growth, what’s particularly worrying is the level of organization and recruitment both online and off, their affinity for violence, and their alliances among similar groups.”
GPAHE found that most Active Clubs are independently run, but communicate with each other and coordinate actions via Telegram (typically). It also noted that not all Active Clubs use the name, but use similar symbols and aesthetics and are white supremacist fight clubs.
New chapters have become active quickly, GPAHE continued, noting that the new Active Club Helvetia in Switzerland - established in February 2025 - has already held MMA events and spray painted racist propaganda, and the new Active Club Bogota has held trips abroad.
In Canada, a new network of ACs has appeared named Second Sons Canada as of March 2025. SSC requires members to take vigorous physical tests and criteria in order to join, and they then begin combat sports training. It is strongly centered on Great Replacement theory and states “Our birthright has been stolen from us as we are being pushed out of society, academics and the workforce and replaced by foreigners without any roots or connection to the Canadian people.”
GPAHE noted that members of new US ACs travelled abroad to meet far-right groups in South Africa such as the whites-only Afrikaner community Orania in order “to gain a deeper understanding of how Whites can form international communities."
GPAHE added that many of the new US Youth Groups are specifically neo-Nazi, citing the Pacific North West (PNW) Youth Club and New England Youth Club, in particular.
The PNW Youth Club said its mission is to “secure a future for the white youth in The Pacific Northwest and bring about a safe future for our children,” which is a modified version of the white supremacist 14 words slogan (“We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children”), coined by American neo-Nazi terrorist David Lane. The New England Youth Club posted a quote by Adolf Hitler from the annual Nazi party rally in 1935: “He alone, who owns the youth, gains the future.”
Many of them are recruited through TikTok, where the links to sign up are in the bio. "Using mainstream platforms to recruit teenagers into far-right extremist movements reflects a continuing trend of young people being radicalized online, where extreme and hateful content is not only easily accessible, but tailored to them," GPAHE wrote.
It was revealed earlier this month in Swedish media that the 16-year-old son of the country's Minister for Migration is an active member of Active Club Sweden.
GPAHE also revealed that the search engine Bing promotes Active Clubs through its artificial intelligence program, going so far as to prompt questions such as “how do I start one,” or “what are the benefits of joining?”
The Jerusalem Post searched Bing for the term, and found that the link to the site is the first one that appears.
“The rise of Active Clubs both in the US and around the world is another reminder that the transnational far-right movement is not slowing down, instead, it is increasingly interconnected from local communities to across borders,” said Heidi Beirich, co-founder of Global Project Against Hate and Extremism.
“Tech companies must do what they can to deplatform these clubs, and authorities must act quickly on the potential violence and danger these clubs can bring to communities.”