Ill-gotten gains: How the gym has allowed the far right to build an iron grip on young men
The article discusses how the Rise Above Movement and its associated Active Clubs have gained traction among young men, promoting a far-right ideology intertwined with masculinity and physical fitness. Founded by Robert Rundo, these clubs have expanded internationally, with over 187 chapters in 27 countries, including Canada. Analysts warn that this movement represents a growing threat of white supremacy, as it appeals to disillusioned young men seeking community and identity.
- ▪Robert Rundo, the founder of the Rise Above Movement, has turned it into a global network of white-supremacist Active Clubs.
- ▪These clubs focus on mixed martial arts and promote a nationalist ideology centered on people of European descent.
- ▪As of 2023, there are over 187 Active Club chapters in 27 countries, including at least 30 in Canada.
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Sam Eagan is a New York-based journalist covering politics, masculinity and sport. He is a former NCAA division-one wrestler for the University of Wyoming and a current Muay Thai fighter.“Let’s go to where I stabbed this dude,” Robert Rundo tells the camera outside a convenience store in Queens, N.Y., wearing a backward hat and sunglasses as he aggressively chews gum. In the short propaganda video for his California-based Rise Above Movement, which was posted in February, the native New Yorker is almost gleeful as he recalls the moment. In a detailed play-by-play of this “street warfare” incident, he describes how, in 2009, he battered and stabbed an alleged member of a Salvadoran-American street gang known as MS-13 over a territory dispute in his childhood neighbourhood.
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