Entity: Active Club Network
Entity: Active Club Network
Basic Information
- Type: Decentralised white supremacist / neo-Nazi network
- Status: Active
- Founded: ~2020-2021
- Founder: Robert Rundo (US, currently hiding in Eastern Europe)
- UK cells: Active Club England (ACE), Active Club Scotland (launched May 2024 per Hope not Hate)
- Structure: Decentralised cells centred on MMA/fitness culture
- Ideology: White supremacist, accelerationist, neo-Nazi
Role in Ecosystem
The Active Club Network is a decentralised network of white supremacist cells that use combat sports and fitness culture as recruitment and organising tools. It represents the "hard core" of the far-right — explicitly white supremacist, accelerationist, and preparing for violence.
Active Clubs are significant for funding research because:
- They're decentralised — harder to track funding
- They use merchandise and combat sports events as revenue streams
- They have international connections (US, Europe, UK)
- The BBC and US Congress have flagged them as a security threat
- UK cells are growing (Scotland launched May 2024)
Money IN (Funding Received)
| Date | From | Amount | Type | Confidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ongoing | Merchandise (White Rex, etc.) | Unknown | Clothing/brand sales | REPORTED | Research papers |
| Ongoing | Combat sports events | Unknown | Event revenue | REPORTED | ADL, BBC |
| Ongoing | Robert Rundo / Terror Machine | Unknown | Central coordination | REPORTED | Counter Extremism Project |
| Ongoing | Member contributions | Unknown | Informal | SPECULATIVE | Pattern-based inference |
Narrative: Active Clubs fund themselves through:
- Merchandise: White supremacist clothing brands (White Rex is key)
- Combat sports: MMA events, gym memberships
- Central coordination: Robert Rundo's Terror Machine media operation
- Informal networks: Member contributions, shared resources
Key finding: The funding model is deliberately decentralised and informal, making it harder to track than formal political party donations.
Money OUT (Funding Given)
| Date | To | Amount | Type | Confidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ongoing | Member training/facilities | Unknown | Gym costs, equipment | SPECULATIVE | Pattern-based |
| Ongoing | Events organisation | Unknown | Fight nights, meetups | SPECULATIVE | Pattern-based |
| Ongoing | Media production | Unknown | Terror Machine content | REPORTED | Counter Extremism Project |
Companies / Entities Controlled
| Company Name | Number | Role | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Active Club England | Unknown | UK cell | Active | |
| Active Club Scotland | Unknown | UK cell | Active | Launched May 2024 |
| Terror Machine (media) | Unknown | Rundo media operation | Active | International |
| White Rex (clothing) | Unknown | Merchandise brand | Active | International |
Action needed: Companies House search for any registered entities, WHOIS for domains
Known Associations
| Person/Org | Relationship | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Robert Rundo | Founder/figurehead | Counter Extremism Project, ADL |
| Patriotic Alternative | Overlapping membership | Hope not Hate |
| Homeland Party | Overlapping membership | Hope not Hate |
| Vanguard Britannica | Linked | The Ferret |
| Various European Active Clubs | International network | ADL, EU RAN |
UK Presence
Active Club England (ACE)
- Established cell
- Linked to Vanguard Britannica (per The Ferret)
- Combat sports events, recruitment
Active Club Scotland
- Formally launched May 2024 (per Hope not Hate State of Hate 2026)
- Growing presence
Connections to UK Far-Right
- Overlap with Patriotic Alternative members
- Overlap with Homeland Party members
- Combat sports as gateway to broader far-right scene
Security Threat
BBC (Oct 2024): "Far-right group using sports to 'build militia', experts warn"
- Active Clubs using sports to ready followers for violence
US Congressional testimony (May 2026): "Active Clubs are white supremacy's new, dangerous frontier"
- Harder to detect form of white supremacist organising
- Merges extremist ideology with fitness and combat
EU RAN report: "Robert Rundo's Impact on the Violent Extreme-Right Active Club Network"
- Europol Innovation Lab report on policing challenges
Media Coverage
| Date | Outlet | Headline | Key Claims | URL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-10-01 | BBC News | "Far-right group using sports to 'build militia', experts warn" | Active Clubs preparing followers for violence | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5ydnqdq38wo |
| 2026-05-13 | US Congress (House Judiciary) | "Active Clubs are white supremacy's new, dangerous frontier" | Congressional testimony on threat | https://www.congress.gov/119/meeting/house/119267/documents/HHRG-119-JU10-20260513-SD006.pdf |
| 2023-01-10 | ADL | "Active Club Network" (backgrounder) | MMA-inspired white supremacist network | https://www.adl.org/resources/backgrounder/active-club-network |
| 2023-03-15 | Middlebury CTEC | "Dangerous Organizations and Bad Actors: The Active Club Network" | Decentralised network analysis | https://www.middlebury.edu/institute/academics/centers-initiatives/ctec/ctec-publications/dangerous-organizations-and-bad-actors-active |
| 2024-07 | GNET | "Accelerationism: The Active Club Network" (PDF) | Robert Rundo, accelerationism | https://gnet-research.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/GNET-44d-Accelerationism-Active-Club-Network_web.pdf |
| 2026 | EU RAN | "Robert Rundo's Impact on the Violent Extreme-Right Active Club Network" | Europol report | https://home-affairs.ec.europa.eu/networks/eu-knowledge-hub-prevention-radicalisation/ |
| 2026-03 | Hope not Hate | "State of Hate 2026" | Active Club Scotland launched May 2024 | https://hopenothate.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/state-of-hate-2026-PDF.pdf |
Research Notes
Key questions:
- Robert Rundo: Where is he now? What's his current funding? Crypto wallets?
- White Rex: Who owns/runs White Rex? Revenue from UK sales?
- UK gym connections: Which gyms are Active Club members using? Any registered businesses?
- Combat sports events: Who organises UK fight nights? Revenue?
- Merchandise: Full list of Active Club merch operations, WHOIS, company registration?
- Crypto: Do Active Clubs accept crypto donations? Wallet addresses?
- Terror Machine: How is Rundo's media operation funded?
Leads to follow:
- Companies House search for Active Club entities, White Rex UK
- Domain WHOIS for Active Club websites
- Crypto wallet collection from Active Club Telegram/social channels
- BBC investigation follow-up
- US Congressional testimony (full document analysis)
- Hope not Hate State of Hate 2026 (download and analyse)
- Cross-reference Active Club members with PA and Homeland membership
Red flags:
- Decentralised structure makes funding nearly impossible to track through normal channels
- Explicitly preparing for violence ("build militia")
- Growing UK presence (Scotland cell launched 2024)
- International coordination via Rundo's media operation
- Overlap with registered political parties (PA, Homeland)
Significance: Active Club Network represents:
- Decentralised far-right — harder to track than formal parties
- Combat sports as recruitment — physical training for political violence
- International coordination — US founder, European cells
- Merchandise funding model — clothing brands as revenue stream
- Overlap with electoral politics — members also in PA, Homeland
Last Updated
- Date: 2026-06-14
- Researcher: Initial data collection session
- Next actions:
- Companies House search
- Crypto wallet collection
- White Rex investigation
- UK gym connections mapping
- Congressional testimony full analysis
- State of Hate 2026 download