“…These so-called “Active Clubs” are now recruiting across the United States, according to Alexander Ritzmann, a Berlin-based senior adviser who co-authored the report “Hiding in Plain Sight–The Transnational Right-Wing Extremist Active Club Network,” which was released last month and highlighted in Rolling Stone. The clubs advertise as sporting groups designated for white-only men, but their real objective, Ritzmann tells The New Abnormal, “is to essentially train a white supremacist militia.” 

"By August, research conducted by Alexander Ritzmann for the Counter Extremism Project (CEP), a nonprofit that tracks extremist groups, found that there were 46 clubs operating in 34 different states—a 50 percent increase in the number of clubs and a 100 percent increase in the geographical spread in the space of just five months....
The vast majority of the Telegram channels identified as belonging to the clubs listed in the CEP report are public, available for everyone to see. The transparency is part of Rundo’s White Supremacy 3.0 strategy where he urges groups to only post positive content about training of the sense of brotherhood that the clubs claim to inspire, while avoiding violent threats and Nazi symbolism. But some groups do not appear to be subscribing to Rundo’s ideals—chief among them, the Tennessee Active Club."

"The Active Clubs are flying below the radar of law enforcement. But as described in a new 50-page report from the Counter Extremism Project (CEP), the network is evolving into a dangerous 'stand-by militia' of well-trained, white-nationalist fighters 'who can be activated when the need for coordinated violent action on a larger scale arises.'"

The Active Clubs present themselves as groups of gym bros who pursue mixed martial arts — and just happen to dabble in white power. 'They are specifically asked not to talk about ‘The Jews’ when recruiting, but to focus on positive things like brotherhood, community and so on,' says Alexander Ritzmann, the Berlin-based researcher who authored the CEP report. This follows Rundo’s belief that: 'A group of strong white men is a fascist statement in itself.'"

"'The Active Clubs are flying below the radar of law enforcement,' Rolling Stone's report stated. 'But as described in a new 50-page report from the Counter Extremism Project (CEP), the network is evolving into a dangerous 'stand-by militia' of well-trained, white-nationalist fighters 'who can be activated when the need for coordinated violent action on a larger scale arises.'"

"A recent report by  Counter Extremism Project, published by The Independent, shows that extremist organizations with white supremacist ideologies are employing the guise of fitness and martial arts to attract and expand their ranks, effectively establishing a new network of militias across the United States, Canada, and Europe. ...

'I've never seen a network in right-wing extremism grow so fast. Usually, it takes years to build a transnational network. It's concerning,' said Alexander Ritzmann, the author of the report and an advisor to the Counter Extremism Project."

"At least 46 so-called 'active clubs' – which publicly promote 'brotherhood' and training in combat sports and fitness while covertly advancing fascist and neo-Nazi agendas and preparing for large-scale violence – have sprouted in 34 states between 2020 and 2023, according to the report from the Counter Extremism Project."

"The Active Club movement is growing exponentially. A new report by the nonprofit Counter Extremism Project, reveals that there are at least 46 active clubs across 34 states in the U.S. The 'transnational' network also has chapters in 15 countries, including Canada, and across Europe, with 23 chapters in France alone.  Alexander Ritzmann, who conducted the CEP research, describes the groups as 'trying to build a militia' in plain sight."

"Data on the groups seen by Vice has been gathered by the Counter Extremism Project (CEP) which published a report that claims: 'Since the creation of the first Active Club in late 2020, at least 100 Active Clubs have been created in the U.S, Canada, and Europe.'"

Alexander Ritzmann, the report’s author and senior advisor to the CEP, told the outlet: 'This is an unprecedented growth. I've never seen a network in right-wing extremism grow so fast. Usually, it takes years to build a transnational network. It’s concerning.'"

"From Denmark, to France, and Canada, semi-autonomous white supremacist groups have been popping up across the globe and recruiting young white men to come train. According to a new report by the Counter Extremism Project (CEP) that was shared with VICE News, 'since the creation of the first Active Club in late 2020, at least 100 Active Clubs have been created in the U.S, Canada, and Europe.'

'This is an unprecedented growth. I've never seen a network in right-wing extremism grow so fast. Usually it takes years to build a transnational network,' Alexander Ritzmann, the report’s author and senior advisor to the CEP, told VICE News. 'It’s concerning.'"

"New research, presented Friday by the Counter Extremism Project (CEP), warns the past several months have seen a proliferation of small, loosely affiliated combat sports and fitness clubs — known as Active Clubs — that publicly advertise fitness, self-improvement and brotherhood...

'They are trying to build a militia undercover,' said Alexander Ritzmann, a CEP senior adviser and the author of the new report. 'The underlying assessment is there is no leadership in the U.S. for targeted violence, for a strong national event or leadership. But once such a thing occurs, you need soldiers.'"