Active Club Network (white nationalist combat sports)
Decentralised white-nationalist combat-sports network founded by Robert Rundo (Rise Above Movement). Combines MMA training with explicit white-nationalist ideology. SPLC hate-group designation.
CLCI radar
BITE breakdown
+1 for SPLC hate-group designation and documented violent incidents.
Profile facts
In context
The Active Club Network grew from Rundo's earlier Rise Above Movement (RAM) and now spans dozens of regional chapters globally. Members combine combat-sports training with overtly white-nationalist ideology and content production. Multiple chapters classified as hate groups by SPLC. Rundo was extradited from Romania to USA in 2023.
Key control doctrines
- White-nationalist ideology with combat-sports training
- Robert Rundo lineage
Recovery resources
- Life After Hate / Exit USA — US-based white-nationalist disengagement organisation; canonical referral for Active Club network and successor recruitment-network exits.
- Free Radicals Project — Christian Picciolini's organisation; substantial Active Club / Rise Above Movement-era disengagement experience.
- Hope Not Hate (UK) — UK anti-extremism organisation; documents Active Club network's European expansion and offers family-support information.
- EXIT-Deutschland — German pioneering far-right exit programme.
- ICSA (International Cultic Studies Association) — General referral and cult-aware therapist directory.
See the full curated list at /resources.
Legal cases & controversies
- DOJ Rundo case
- Multiple chapter SPLC designations
This profile is in progress — history, deeper BITE evidence and survivor voices are still being added. Contributions welcome via GitHub.
Timeline
- 2017Rise Above Movement violence at Charlottesville and California rallies
- 2020+Active Club Network expansion
- 2023Rundo extradited to USA
Sources
We cite sources by name and outlet rather than fabricating links. Where a source includes its own URL, the open ↗ link opens it directly; otherwise search ↗ runs a Google Scholar query for the cited title — useful for verifying academic sources. For news outlets, search the outlet's own archive.
Change history
Substantive edits logged per the score-updates policy.
- 2026-05-20Source-density flags derived from existing free-text sources[]: investigative journalism. Heuristic auto-flag; subsequent editorial pass will populate structuredSources[] with reliability tiers.
- 2026-05-20Score band scheme migrated from 4 bands to 5 (Minimal 0–5 / Low 6–12 / Moderate 13–20 / High 21–30 / Extreme 31–40). No CLCI value changed; the new Minimal band was carved out of the bottom of the previous Low band.
Relevant hubs
Curated entry points on CLCI Hub for situations connected to this group.
- Start herePick the reading path that matches your situation.
- PatternsDocumented control patterns with linked profiles.
- Online groupsPolitical and ideological coercion often operates via online communities.
- FamiliesHow families and close friends can engage with high-control members.
- RecoveryIf you have left or are preparing to leave.
You may also want to explore
Found something wrong on this profile?
We accept correction requests from anyone — current and former members, researchers, journalists, family members, and the listed organisation. Submissions are reviewed by an editor; we do not auto-publish.