December 7, 2025
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NWN COMMUNITY BLOG Neo-Nazi Groups Are On The Rise

Neo-Nazi Groups Are On The Rise

Intelligence agencies in Canada, the United States and other Western countries are increasingly monitoring so-called “Active Clubs” — fight-club style groups tied to neo-fascist and white-supremacist movements. These are not merely fringe firms but are emerging as a transnational network of groups inspired by Hitler-era ideology and structured around martial-arts, masculinity, “warrior” culture, and global coordination.

The term “active clubs” refers to decentralized cells that combine mixed martial arts training, weightlifting, group identity and far-right messaging. According to intelligence reports available via freedom-of-information requests to Canada’s Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) and shared through Five-Eyes alerts, these clubs operate across borders — with chapters in North America, Europe and Australia.

One example: a Canadian chapter, “Nationalist-13”, posted a training-video montage on Telegram showing masked fighters sparring, with chapters from Illinois and Wisconsin among the participants — demonstrating cross-border links. The founder of the broader network, Robert Rundo, once led the U.S. street-fighting group Rise Above Movement and now channels recruitment into this next generation of white-supremacist fight clubs.

These clubs frequently portray themselves as “fitness”, “martial-arts” or “brotherhood” groups—yet analysts say their ideology is overtly extremist: references to “white genocide,” “race war,” and preparations for violent mobilization. The intelligence reports highlight their use of encrypted apps for coordination, cross-border travel for training events, and increasingly global scope.

Importantly, security agencies see them differently now: not simply as fringe militants but as hybridized extremist networks that blur the boundaries between sport, subculture, recruitment and paramilitarism. The article signals growing alarm that these groups could serve as “stand-by militias” ready to escalate violence or coordinate internationally.

Main Points

  • “Active Clubs” = neo-fascist, white-supremacist fight-club style groups combining martial arts culture with extremist ideology (Hitler, white race war, macho identity).
  • They operate globally: chapters in at least 27 countries, with documented cross-border recruitment, training and propaganda.
  • Intelligence services (e.g., CSIS) are treating them as emergent security threats because they straddle conventional extremist group models and less visible “combat-sports” subculture.
  • Encrypted messaging apps (Telegram) and travel between countries (e.g., Canada ↔ U.S.) facilitate coordination, radicalization and reinforcement of the movement’s networks.
  • The movement uses combat-sport aesthetics and fitness culture to recruit young men, making entry appear benign but with ideological under-currents of militant white nationalism.
  • Analysts warn of the potential for violence escalation and mobilization, especially when these clubs network internationally and adopt paramilitary readiness mindsets.

Projections & What It Means for the Future

  • Radicalization pathway intensifies: By framing their identity as “fit, disciplined, brotherhood” and embedding it in martial culture, these clubs may lower the barrier to entry compared with more overt extremist groups. This suggests a potential expansion in membership, especially among young white men.
  • Transnational extremist network growth: With chapters across continents, the active-club model could serve as a replicable blueprint for far-right organizing globally, amplifying white-supremacist reach beyond national borders.
  • Law-enforcement & intelligence challenge: These groups are harder to detect, label and disrupt because they may operate under the radar of typical extremist definitions (they present as sports clubs). Agencies may need new tools and legal frameworks.
  • Potential escalation to violence or militia-style action: While many of these clubs currently operate in training mode, their armed or mobilization potential raises concern. If triggered by ideological calls (“race war,” “white protection”), the risk of violent activity may increase.
  • Policy and prevention adaptation: Governments may need to monitor not just overt hate groups but subcultural networks, sports-based recruitment, encrypted messaging recruitment pipelines, and international coordination.
  • Public-awareness and cultural resistance: Recognizing the recruitment strategy (gym + martial arts + ideology) may assist in demobilizing or deradicalizing recruits, but public and institutional awareness is still catching up.
  • Potential backlash and law enforcement escalation: As these networks grow, increased disruptions, prosecutions, and international cooperation might follow — which could drive the groups further underground but also spotlight them as security threats.

References