(Mis)Understanding the Transnational Violent Extreme-Right Active Club Strategy | Alexander Ritzmann
Alexander Ritzmann
Author of the CEP report on Active Clubs
Senior Advisor, Counter Extremism Project (CEP)
In September 2023, CEP published the first comprehensive report on the Active Club network and strategy: https://counterextre.me/transnationalRWEactiveclubs
Further CEP research looked into the militant nature of the network and addressed the important difference between Active Clubs and other right-wing extremist groups doing combat sports:
https://www.accresearch.org/shortanalysis/dont-get-fooledthe-extreme-right-active-club-network-is-not-about-combat-sports https://www.counterextremism.com/blog/misunderstanding-transnational-violent-extreme-right-active-club-strategy
On May 17, 2024, CEP hosted a webinar to discuss the latest developments around the white supremacist Active Club network in the U.S. and Europe. Active Clubs are arguably the largest and fastest growing violent extreme-right network with more than 100 groups in North America and Europe.
The underlying strategy was developed in the U.S. in 2020 with the aim to build a shadow militia. To hide in plain sight, Active Clubs are supposed to present a friendly face to the public with a focus on sports and brotherhood to avoid law enforcement interventions. This less aggressive and more mainstream looking strategy is also meant to help grow the network.
In September 2023, CEP published the first comprehensive report on the Active Club network and strategy. Further CEP research looked into the militant nature of the network and addressed the important difference between Active Clubs and other right-wing extremist groups doing combat sports.
The Swedish EXPO Foundation published a detailed report on the local Active Club network in November 2023, while the Dutch weekly magazine The Groene Amsterdammer investigated the scene in the Netherlands in February 2024.
