"Alexander Ritzmann, Senior Advisor at the Counter Extremism Project, cautions that Active Clubs are carefully presenting themselves as 'just another right-wing sports club' to evade detection by authorities."

"Alexander Ritzmann, a researcher with international organisation The Counter Extremism Project and an adviser to the European Commission’s Radicalisation Awareness Network, said he had "never seen a network in right-wing extremism grow so fast".

He said AC was a "sophisticated operation" and warned if the movement was "allowed to continue to operate and multiply, the likelihood for targeted political violence will increase"."

"The clubs are ‘arguably the largest and fastest growing violent extreme-right network’, and are spreading across the UK, according to the insights provided to Metro.co.uk by the Counter Extremism Project (CEP)."

"A report published last year by the Counter Extremism Project described Active Clubs as a 'stand-by militia of trained and capable [right-wing extremists] who can be activated when the need for coordinated violent action on a larger scale arises.'"

"The Counter Extremism Project has also warned of the threat from 'active clubs', which were created in the United States in 2020 to 'make fascism fun'."

"But the Counter Extremism Project said there was increasing evidence to suggest the network’s main objective was the creation of 'shadow militias' that could be called upon for violent action."

"That afternoon, one policy body, the Counter Extremism Project (CEP), was invited to discuss its submission, which chiefly focuses on warning of what it describes as the 'next challenge' to be posed by Australian neo-Nazis: the adoption of the 'Active Club' model."

"The Counter Extremism Project says the goal of Active Clubs is 'to build a shadow militia while evading law enforcement scrutiny'.
'Active Clubs pretend to have deradicalised and to only focus on sports and brotherhood,' the project's Alexander Ritzmann told a Senate hearing last week.
'They're often founded by members of established open extreme right neo-Nazi groups to attract members from mainstream society.'"

"A counter-extremist group has warned a Senate committee a fast-growing, global far-right extremism group has infiltrated Australia.

Known as 'Active Clubs', the hearing was told the group thrives on social media, and exists to build a "shadow militia" while evading law enforcement scrutiny.

Alexander Ritzmann, Counter Extremism Project Counter Extremism Project"

CEP and CEP Senior Advisor Alexander Ritzmann remarks to Australian Parliament quoted: "A counter-extremist group has warned a Senate committee a fast-growing, global far-right extremism group has infiltrated Australia. Known as 'Active Clubs', the hearing was told the group thrives on social media, and exists to build a "shadow militia" while evading law enforcement scrutiny."