As the Mastermind of Far-Right ‘Active Clubs’ Goes to Prison, His Violent Movement Goes Global

American neo-Nazis Robert RondoA six-year battle with the federal government — one that spanned two firings, three reversals on appeal and extradition and deportation from at least two countries — ended today with his arrest for attacking ideological opponents at a California political rally. The man ended up being sentenced to federal prison in 2017.

with several members beyond movementis a fight club and street gang that Rundo co-founded with Southern California extremist Ben Daley at the height of the alt-right movement. Rundo was convicted in 2018 of conspiracy to violate federal riot laws aimed at training and orchestrating the former In 2017, a series of attacks on political opponents were carried out at “Unite the Right” rallies in California and Virginia. While Rondo may be behind bars for years, the movement he started is spreading wildly around the world.

in the years since his death preliminary arrestAfter Rondo’s case was initially dismissed in 2019, he was prosecuted, imprisoned and fled the United States, where he helped orchestrate an international network of RAM clones known as the Active Club. A transnational alliance of far-right fight clubs closely associated with skinhead gangs and neo-fascist political movements in North America, Europe, Australia and South America. Active club network is spreading internationally. have Dozens of active clubs According to information from Telegram and extremism researchers, these groups are active in the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Scandinavia, Australia, and Colombia.

Active clubs look innocuous from the outside, but are actually small groups of young people who hike, train for combat sports, lift weights and build friendships — all part of Beyond Sports’ original plan. But the darkness is in the details: members of these groups often overlap with other extremist groups such as the Patriot Front, skinhead criminal groups such as the Hammers, and other groups. violent extremists in foreign countries. Some active US-based clubs are venturing into politics intimidation and Violencejust like the Rise Up movement before them.

“I do believe that in the future we need a mass movement, a mass organization, but at this point, do you really want a group of people who are completely from the online world to join a mass movement? Do you have any experience or skills?” Rondo said in a video posted online shortly before his arrest in Bucharest, Romania, in March 2023. “Active clubs are a great local way for people to move from the online world into the real world and learn practical skills.”

Hannah Gais, a senior research analyst at the Southern Poverty Law Center who has long studied Rondeau and her colleagues, said the active club model is distinguished by its low barriers to entry and emphasis on active community building. Bring in new blood from outside extremist circles. “This model does make it easier to connect across borders,” Gass said. “If you’re not an organization, you can connect with whoever you want.”