Overview

Hiding in Plain Sight -The Transnational Right-Wing Extremist Active Club Network

The White Supremacy 3.0 strategy was developed predominantly by Robert Rundo. Born in 1990 in Queens, New York, Rundo co-founded the U.S. RWE/REMVE Rise Above Movement (RAM) in 2017, which served as a key steppingstone for his later actions. In the following years, Rundo was also a driving force in the creation of the Will2Rise clothing brand, the Media2Rise propaganda network, and the transnational RWE/REMVE combat sports network Active Club.

The White Supremacy 3.0 strategy aims to grow the existing RWE/REMVE combat sports network in the United States and beyond by mainstreaming its visible activities, in particular through focusing on the promotion of athletic aesthetics, fitness and combat sports, RWE clothing, and music and by promising status, agency, belonging, and purpose to white men. 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 activism, in particular street activism by Skinheads (1.0) and suit-wearing alt-right keyboard warriors (2.0).

White Supremacy 3.0 is also strongly inspired by Rundo’s time in Europe. In 2018, he participated in the RWE/REMVE Kampf der Nibelungen (KdN) combat sports tournament in Germany and met his mentor, Denis Kapustin (a.k.a. Nikitin). They later produced the Active Club podcast together.

Rundo also visited several other European countries then and in the following years, including Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, Ukraine, and Serbia, and took inspiration from different RWE/REMVE groups during this time, in particular from the Russian White Rex, the Ukrainian Azov movement, the Italian Casa Pound, and the French Generation Identitaire.

Rundo has curated and propagated a comprehensive autobiographical narrative of victimhood and humiliation as the main justification for his extreme-right activism. He has described his radicalization pathway in various podcast interviews and conversations hosted by RWE/REMVE groups and Individuals. He also described that “meeting the boys and doing sports” allowed him not to bring his emotional issues home to his girlfriend. His curated life story appears to be designed to justify and promote combat sports as a form of self-therapy and empowerment.

Rundo spreads a curated story of victimhood, humiliation and then empowerment through white supremacy In the following years, Rundo co-founded Rise Above Movement (RAM), the predecessor group of the Active Clubs (AC). In 2019, members of RAM were sentenced for violent acts during the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. Reportedly, they were also practicing drive-by style shootings at the time. That same year, RAM members including Rundo were charged with inciting violence during a pro-Trump rally in Huntington Beach, California. In the aftermath, Rundo lost his job as a unionized laborer trainee and his fiancée left him.

While in the Los Angeles County jail awaiting his 2019 court hearing, Rundo reports that he had been welcomed by the RWE/REMVE criminal gang Aryan Brotherhood, which controlled the white inmates. In June 2019, a federal judge dismissed the case, which was reopened in 2022 and led to his arrest in Romania in March 2023. He was extradited to the United States on August 2, 2023 and is facing trial in California.

On different occasions, Rundo has claimed that he suffered significantly from the U.S. law enforcement response to the violent acts (allegedly) committed by RAM members. This included, according to Rundo, an unlawful extradition by U.S. officials from El Salvador where he was hiding from the prosecution in 2017, as well as a raid by a FBI SWAT team of his apartment, where he claims that the FBI agents looked for a justification to shoot him.

His frequent encounters with law enforcement lead Rundo to hide in Cuba and in several European countries on and off between 2017 and 2023 (see above), where he educated himself about different national and local RWE/REMVE strategies, and connected with various RWE/REMVE groups. This “Jason Bourne experience,” as Rundo calls it—referencing a series of Hollywood spy and action movies - appears to have strongly influenced the creation of the White Supremacy 3.0 strategy, which can be understood as an essential “lesson learned” from the previous, more openly aggressive RAM approach. In May 2022, Rundo, the co-creator and figurehead of the Active Club network, stated that “the Active Clubs run on their own. They don´t need me anymore.” Full CEP report here. Previously, Robert Rundo was the founder and leader of the Rise Above Movement (RAM), a white supremacist gang based in Southern California that calls itself the “premier MMA (mixed martial arts) club of the Alt-Right.”“Rise Above Movement,” (R.A.M.), ADL, https://www.adl.org/resources/backgrounders/rise-above-movement-ram. In a since deleted YouTube video, RAM co-founder Robert Rundo said he and Ben Daley founded RAM because they did not see a place for themselves in the far-right movement at the time, condemning the alt-right movement for “playing dress-up.” According to Rundo, they wanted a group that would reach beyond online forums.“Guidelines2Rise - Starting your crew,” YouTube video, 10:46, posted July 26, 2020, by “Media 2Rise,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFq6IkruUDQ. In December 2024, Rundo pleaded guilty to conspiracy to riot and received a two-year prison sentence to be followed by supervised release. He was subsequently released because of time served.“Former Orange County Resident Linked to White Supremacy Group Sentenced to 2 Years in Prison for Rioting at Political Rallies,” U.S. Department of Justice, December 13, 2024, https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdca/pr/former-orange-county-resident-linked-white-supremacy-group-sentenced-2-years-prison; Ali Winston, “US founder of neo-Nazi network sentenced to two years of time served,” Guardian (London), December 13, 2024, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/dec/13/neo-nazi-founder-robert-rundo-sentencing.

Rundo was born and raised in Queens, New York. In 2009, Rundo and his friends confronted two Latino men in a store, chasing the victims before Rundo pounced on one man and stabbed him in the right hand, right elbow, left arm, chest, and neck. Rundo was sentenced to two years in a state prison on gang assault charges, serving around 20 months of the sentence.A.C. Thompson, Alin Winston, and Darwin Bond Graham, “Racist, Violent, Unpunished: A White Hate Group’s Campaign of Menace,” ProPublica, October 19, 2017, https://www.propublica.org/article/white-hate-group-campaign-of-menace-rise-above-movement.

Rundo co-founded RAM with Ben Daly in 2017 in Southern California.Karim Zidan, “RAM’s revival and the ongoing struggle against MMA’s far-right fight clubs,” Guardian (London), November 27, 2019, https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/nov/27/rams-revival-and-the-ongoing-struggle-against-mmas-far-right-fight-clubs; “Four Local Members of White Supremacy Group Face Federal Charges in Attacks at Political Rallies across California,” U.S. Department of Justice, October 24, 2018, https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdca/pr/four-local-members-white-supremacy-group-face-federal-charges-attacks-political-rallies. One of RAM’s core focus is MMA and athleticism. It is through training members in street fighting that they hope to reignite the “warrior spirit” of the white male.Ali Winston and A.C. Thompson, “American Hate Group Looks to Make Allies in Europe,” ProPublica, July 5, 2018, https://www.propublica.org/article/robert-rundo-denis-nikitin-hooligans-europe-hate-group. Members of RAM have traveled to Europe to participate in MMA tournaments organized by German and Ukrainian neo-Nazi groups.“Rise Above Movement,” Center for International Security and Cooperation, https://cisac.fsi.stanford.edu/mappingmilitants/profiles/rise-above-movement. RAM has established athletics clubs and “neighborhood” gyms to attract recruits, framing them in the style of 20th century boxing and youth clubs.Robert Rundo, “The Idea Behind ‘Active Club’ Part 1,” Media 2 Rise, December 7, 2020, https://media2rise.com/2020/12/07/active-club/. RAM believes in physically fighting the destructive cultural influences of liberals, Jews, Muslims, and non-white immigrants.“Rise Above Movement,” (R.A.M.), ADL, https://www.adl.org/resources/backgrounders/rise-above-movement-ram.

On March 25, 2017, Rundo and fellow RAM member Tyler Laube attended a rally in support of then-U.S. President Donald Trump in Huntington Beach, California.“Four Local Members of White Supremacy Group Face Federal Charges in Attacks at Political Rallies across California,” U.S. Department of Justice, October 24, 2018, https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdca/pr/four-local-members-white-supremacy-group-face-federal-charges-attacks-political-rallies; Priscella Vega and Julia Sclafani, “Arrests of white power leaders are a reminder of Huntington Beach’s painful past,” Los Angeles Times, October 28, 2018, https://www.latimes.com/socal/daily-pilot/news/tn-dpt-me-hb-robert-rundo-20181026-story.html. While at the rally, Laube grabbed a journalist and punched him in the face three times. During the same rally, Rundo punched one protester in the back of the head, and then assaulted a second protester.Adam Goldman and Ali Winston, “F.B.I. Arrests White Nationalist Leader Who Fled the Country for Central America,” New York Times, October 24, 2018, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/24/us/fbi-white-nationalist-robert-paul-rundo-rise-above.html. On April 15, 2017, Rundo and other RAM members traveled to a rally in Berkeley, California.“Four Local Members of White Supremacy Group Face Federal Charges in Attacks at Political Rallies across California,” U.S. Department of Justice, October 24, 2018, https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdca/pr/four-local-members-white-supremacy-group-face-federal-charges-attacks-political-rallies. Video footage showed the men taping their hands beforehand in preparation for fighting and wearing skeleton masks. According to videos, RAM member Robert Boman punched at least two people, while Rundo punched a police officer and another protester.Adam Goldman and Ali Winston, “F.B.I. Arrests White Nationalist Leader Who Fled the Country for Central America,” New York Times, October 24, 2018, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/24/us/fbi-white-nationalist-robert-paul-rundo-rise-above.html.

On October 24, 2018, FBI agents arrested Rundo on charges of plotting riots and inciting violence.Adam Goldman and Ali Winston, “F.B.I. Arrests White Nationalist Leader Who Fled the Country for Central America,” New York Times, October 24, 2018, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/24/us/fbi-white-nationalist-robert-paul-rundo-rise-above.html. Rundo, along with RAM members Robert Boman, Tyler Laube, and Aaron Eason,  were­ charged under a federal anti-riot statute with planning and then carrying out assaults at 2017 rallies in Huntington Beach, San Bernardino, and Berkeley in the months after former President Donald Trump’s election.A.C. Thompson, “Federal Judge Dismisses Charges Against 3 White Supremacists,” PBS, June 4, 2019, https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/federal-judge-dismisses-charges-against-3-white-supremacists/. Rundo was held at the federal jail in downtown Los Angeles.Adam Goldman and Ali Winston, “F.B.I. Arrests White Nationalist Leader Who Fled the Country for Central America,” New York Times, October 24, 2018, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/24/us/fbi-white-nationalist-robert-paul-rundo-rise-above.html. On June 6, 2019, U.S. District Judge Cormac J. Carney, dismissed Rundo, Boman, and Eason of a series of charges, arguing that the Anti-Riot Act is “unconstitutionally overbroad in violation of the First Amendment,” and that the government’s charges largely dealt with behavior protected as free speech.Alexander Mallin, “Calif. district judge tosses US case against members of white nationalist group,” ABC News, June 6, 2019, https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/calif-district-judge-tosses-us-case-members-white/story?id=63511366.

In November 2020, Bellingcat—an international collective of researchers, investigators, and journalists—revealed that Rundo was building a new base for himself in Serbia. However, in February 2021, Serbian authorities expelled Rundo from the country.Michael Colborne, “‘On the Run Again’: Has US White Supremacist Rob Rundo Returned to Serbia?,” Bellingcat, December 2, 2021, https://www.bellingcat.com/news/uk-and-europe/2021/12/02/on-the-run-again-has-us-white-supremacist-rob-rundo-returned-to-serbia/. However, on November 8, 2021, Rundo posted a photo of himself on his Telegram channel that was quickly taken down. Due to graffiti in a photo, Bellingcat was able to determine that Rundo was in Belgrade, Serbia.“Bosnian Police Hunt for Wanted US Far-Right Activist,” Balkan Insight, March 30, 2021, https://balkaninsight.com/2021/03/30/bosnian-police-hunt-for-wanted-us-far-right-activist/.

On March 29, 2023, Rundo was arrested at a gym in Bucharest, Romania. According to Romanian police, U.S. authorities requested Rundo’s provisional arrest. According to the charges, Rundo allegedly conspired with others to attend political rallies and employ physical against ideological opponents.“Un anarhist american de origine română, care a organizat atacuri violente la proteste în SUA, a fost prins la Bucureşt,” Digi 24, March 31, 2023, https://www.digi24.ro/stiri/actualitate/anarhist-american-de-origine-romana-care-a-organizat-atacuri-violente-la-proteste-in-sua-a-fost-prins-la-bucuresti-2300751. U.S. authorities extradited Rundo on August 1, 2023. He arrived at the Hollywood Burbank Airport in California, escorted by FBI agents.“Lead Defendant in Federal Case Charging White Supremacist Group with Violence at Political Rallies Extradited from Romania,” U.S. Department of Justice, August 2, 2023, https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdca/pr/lead-defendant-federal-case-charging-white-supremacist-group-violence-political.

On September 4, 2024, Rundo accepted a plea agreement with federal prosecutors. Rundo agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to riot in exchange for prosecutors agreeing not to seek more than a two-year sentence. Rundo had already served almost two years in custody.Brittny Mejia, “Alleged white supremacist leader agrees to plead guilty to conspiracy to riot,” Los Angeles Times, September 6, 2024, https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-09-06/accused-white-supremacist-leader-plead-guilty. On September 13, Rundo pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate the federal Anti-Riot Act in relation to a series of political rallies in California in 2017. On December 13, U.S. District Judge Josephine L Staton, in California, sentenced Rundo to two years in federal prison to be followed by two years of supervised release. Rundo was released from prison later that day because of time already served.“Former Orange County Resident Linked to White Supremacy Group Sentenced to 2 Years in Prison for Rioting at Political Rallies,” U.S. Department of Justice, December 13, 2024, https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdca/pr/former-orange-county-resident-linked-white-supremacy-group-sentenced-2-years-prison; Ali Winston, “US founder of neo-Nazi network sentenced to two years of time served,” Guardian (London), December 13, 2024, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/dec/13/neo-nazi-founder-robert-rundo-sentencing.

Rundo’s release from U.S. custody in December 2024 and return to active propaganda in June 2025 has been a galvanizing moment for the AC scene. His legal saga of being prosecuted and imprisoned for his role in violent political clashes has been woven into the movement’s narrative of “repression breeds resilience”. Within AC channels, Rundo is portrayed as a martyr-figure whose sacrifice validates the need for smarter tactics. This narrative is used to justify the adaptive measures (keeping a low profile, building infrastructure) as a way to survive government interventions.

Rundo’s messaging since June 2025 has been both a continuation of prior AC doctrine and an innovation in focus areas. As a decentralized network, ACs lack formal hierarchy, so Rundo’s statements function as influential guidance across AC chapters. His recent communications can be distilled into several key themes:

• The turning point to violence: Following the killing of a 23-year-old French alleged right-wing extremist in Lyon in February 2026, Robert Rundo had framed the victim as a martyr and justification for militant resurgence. Rundo described the killing as “the turning” point that signaled the end of polite politics and the rise of physical confrontation. The calling for “black shirts (to) rise again” is a long-established violence-promoting narrative by Rundo. Black Shirts were fascist paramilitary units that emerged post-World War I in Italy, the United Kingdom, Germany (called Brown Shirts), and the United States (called Black Legion/Silver Shirts) . They were formed to protect fascist leaders and to violently attack political opponents. Analysis: The narrative serves as a clear rhetorical escalation: it justified street violence as a defensive necessity, positioned the AC model as the solution, and was widely circulated in AC-linked channels across Europe and the U.S. Though not directly tied to ACs, the event became a transnational propaganda catalyst and reinforced the group’s call to violence-readiness. “White Nationalism 3.0” and mainstreaming: Before the incident in Lyon, Rundo reiterated the importance of a clean-cut, mainstream-friendly appearance. This is a continuity of the AC strategy white nationalism “3.0”: avoid overt neo-Nazi or skinhead trappings while promoting hyper-masculine self-improvement, camaraderie, and cultural traditionalism. Analysis: By downplaying obvious extremist symbols and activities, Rundo’s guidance aims to reduce early law-enforcement pressure and maximize recruitment pools.
• Infrastructure over spectacle: A novel emphasis in Rundo’s post-prison messaging is a call to build “real-world roots” and infrastructure. In a widely circulated New Year 2026 message, he is instructing ACs to prioritize securing dedicated gyms, housing, movement-owned businesses, and regular private gatherings. Analysis: Rundo is setting a management agenda for the network: he wants ACs to evolve from loosely affiliated groups into community institutions. This guidance was well received by followers (e.g., multiple AC channels echoed and reposted the “2026: Year of Structure” message)
• Parallel economy and self-sufficiency: Rundo’s communications frame economic and logistical self-reliance as core to the movement’s future. He promotes the creation of small businesses owned and operated by movement members. Analysis: The pitch is, in Rundo’s eyes, pragmatic: shared workplaces and enterprises keep members in daily contact, build trust, generate revenue, and reduce reliance on “system”-owned infrastructure. Rundo had promoted the concept of parallel economy and self-sufficiency before, but elevates it now to a primary 2026 project, envisioning a nationwide (and transnational) network of businesses as an alternative ecosystem.

Read more about Robert Rundo.

Also Known As

• Robert Paul Rundo“United States of America v. Robert Paul Rundo, Robert Boman, Tyler Laube, and Aaron Eason,” U.S. District Court, Central District of California, October 20, 2018, https://int.nyt.com/data/documenthelper/421-robert-rundo-complaint/0f1e76cdeef814133f24/optimized/full.pdf.