Robert Rundo, founder of Active Clubs, has created a stir with his new movement. Specifically, he is recruiting young men and boys into fitness and mixed martial arts communities that push neo-Nazi and fascist ideologies. This initiative, which has proliferated across the United States, is seen as a strategic effort to build a new American fascist movement by targeting a vulnerable demographic of youth.
Active Clubs take historical cues from the machismo linked to both the Third Reich and European soccer hooligan culture. Rundo and his comrades seem to have a very specific understanding of young men’s value to their cause. Their focus on this demographic reflects a broader trend within far-right groups, which have increasingly recognized young males as prime targets for recruitment.
In early 2024, Rundo pleaded guilty to conspiracy to riot at political rallies in California in 2017. Four of those members of Active Clubs are now facing felony aggravated assault charges. Most recently, their involvement in the infamous Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia has received national scrutiny. Even with these legal threats against them, the group has managed to grow its reach and impact multifold largely through social media platforms, including Telegram.
Active Clubs recently declared the establishment of “youth clubs” in Telegram. These clubs will function as local chapters for youth under age 18. The videos of these clubs depict participants sincerely training in MMA. Sadly, they feature racist memes and references to extremist literature.
“Youth clubs are for those under 18 that still want to get active,” an Active Club post stated. This troubling statement reflects the group’s desire to grow its mission-oriented new youth recruits.
Joshua Fisher-Birch is an analyst with an expertise on the American far right. He framed these youth clubs as further reach of Active Clubs’ white supremacist plan. He told us they’re part of a more decentralized international movement focused on combat sports, fitness, and local community building through propaganda activities.
“The youth clubs are self-described white nationalist activist groups for young men 18 and younger who train in combat sports and participate in extreme right propaganda activities.” – Joshua Fisher-Birch
According to Fisher-Birch, in recent years young men and boys have become a primary target for far-right recruitment. He emphasized the importance of these clubs in providing young individuals with a sense of belonging while furthering the agenda of white nationalism.
Rundo and other Active Club members boast on camera about their strategies for luring vulnerable teenagers. In a 2022 article on their main domain, they called these the “tools of persuasion.” This strategy is all about utilizing social dynamics between communities or cities to open doors of recruitment opportunity.
“Ground-level intelligence collection might then inform that same activist crew that changing demographics at a local high school have led to gang-beatings of minority White youth. The cunning and resourceful activists see this news as an opportunity for a campaign focusing on the importance of a Brotherhood of young White men having each other’s backs.” – Robert Rundo and others
The youth club posts also document the distribution of Nazi propaganda on flyers and stickers around their own communities. This kind of outreach perfectly illustrates how Active Clubs are working to popularize their radical ideology with impressionable young people. Their messaging is unapologetically pro-white and American nationalist, reflecting a broader agenda that seeks to challenge multiculturalism and promote racial homogeneity.
In a recent interview, Fisher-Birch explained what these youth clubs mean for young people and the broader community. He linked them to a larger movement strategy aimed to grow a new generation of radical-right organizers. He stated, “The youth clubs are part of the same concept of active clubs’ white supremacism ‘3.0’ strategy: a decentralized movement focused on combat sports, fitness, propaganda activities, and building local groups.”
As shown nationally by instances of far-right political aggression, Active Clubs are one of the most dangerous forms of far-right political organizing today. Yet their stated goal of recruiting youth alarms and merits strong scrutiny, especially regarding the risk of radicalizing impressionable young adults.