Terrorism expert Hans-Jakob Schindler, director of the Counter Extremisms Project (CEP) in Berlin, sees a worrying trend: "The willingness to use violence in the right-wing extremist scene is increasing significantly," he said in an interview with the Frankfurter Rundschau newspaper published by Ippen.Media.

"This is not your average neo-Nazi group. They don't act suddenly. Their strategy is to grow, so when a leader they can support emerges, they can protect him," says Alexander Ritzmann. "That's why I call them a 'shadow militia'. Because they want to show the authorities that they are just racists who play sports. The background, however, is completely different," he says. Alexander Ritzmann has been researching extremism for several years at the American organization Counter Extremism Project. In his research, Active Clubs have made an impression on him in recent years, while branches have spread from the United States to Europe.

However, it was not the last movement with neo-Nazi ideology that Robert Rundo would be behind. In 2016, at the age of 26, Rundo co-founded the Rise Above Movement (RAM), an organization that would become the precursor to Active Club. According to Alexander Ritzmann, an international expert on extremism and researcher at the Counter Extremism Project, RAM quickly got into trouble with the police. "The Rise Above Movement openly incited violence and was involved in some minor acts of violence. They experienced a very harsh reaction from the authorities," explains Alexander Ritzmann.