“Intelligence agencies want to be aware of extremist networks that exist in their countries,” said Joshua Fisher-Birch, a terrorism analyst at the Counter Extremism Project, about active clubs, “their potential for current or future violence, and what links they may have to other movements and individuals, both domestically and internationally.” Already, there’s been evidence of that international coordination coming to light. “The neo-Nazi skinhead group the Hammerskins has had members in both the US and Canada, and more recently, the accelerationist groups the Atomwaffen Division and the Base have had members in both countries,” said Fisher-Birch, referring to two other groups that had transnational criminal networks.

Gun raids in Germany and films of people shooting with AR-15s in Sweden. The Active Club movement has taken steps towards becoming even more radical and violent. German researcher Alexander Ritzmann, from the Counter Extremism Project, warns that the movement may be on the verge of arming itself. It is not a martial arts club, but an emerging shadow militia, he says.

“If active clubs are allowed to continue to operate and multiply, the likelihood for targeted political violence and terrorism by their members against supposed enemies of the ‘white race’ (eg, Jews, people of color, Muslims and LGTBQI+ individuals) will increase,” Alexander Ritzmann, a senior researcher at the Counter Extremism Project who studies the movement, said.

“Active clubs are exploiting the assassination of Charlie Kirk for recruitment purposes, specifically urging white men to join the movement,” said Joshua Fisher-Birch, a professional analyst who researches the far right. “In online posts, active clubs have also stated that the current environment presents an opportunity to expand the movement, claiming that regular people are receptive to their ‘radical message’.”

They are wolves in sheep's clothing. They want to appear friendly and uncontroversial. This is according to Alexander Ritzmann , senior advisor at the Counter Extremism Project (CEP) – a US-based, non-profit organization established in 2014 with the goal of combating extremism, radicalization and terrorism on a global level. CEP publishes reports and data on various extremist groups, ideologies, financing networks and propaganda, and advises authorities on how to handle potential threats. Ritzmann has closely examined the Active Club environment for several years, and is convinced that this concept is not about bare-knuckle training and martial arts.

The active clubs are part of a larger international far-right movement, focusing on strength training and martial arts. The concept has spread quickly and is now present in at least 20 countries with over 100 groups globally and in most US states, according to the organization The Counter Extremism Project.

The so-called activist clubs, in which a young close relative of a minister was active, have grown rapidly in Sweden. Alexander Ritzmann, senior advisor at the Counter Extremism Project in Berlin, has mapped the movement from its beginnings in the United States.