Inside Britain's secret far right army

Featuring pumping music and high-energy scenes of boxing, weightlifting and martial arts, it could be a promo video for a gym or a workout group. 

The truth is far darker, with this footage actually produced by a Neo-Nazi hate group looking to recruit new members in England. 

Active Club (AC), whose members praise Adolf Hitler, poses as a sports club seeking the self-improvement of young men through weight training and fitness. 

Recruits are given three 'rules': that they must avoid drugs, not have any convictions for sexual offences and 'not commit crimes in the name of the club'.  

But extremism experts warn this is all a charade to hide the group's true intention - to create a 'militia' that will one day wreak violence on the streets of Britain. 

AC was originally exposed in an investigation by the BBC's North West Investigations Team, but it remains active on encrypted messaging app Telegram.

Active Club claims to be a peaceful, legal attempt to 'revive' what it calls 'the warrior culture of our nation' by focusing on male fitness and comradeship. 

However, Telegram posts show members celebrating Hitler's birthday with a cake decorated with a swastika and two men wearing t-shirts bearing the term Waffen-SS - the military branch of the Nazi SS. 

Elsewhere, in the wake of the stabbings in Southport that provoked far-right riots, people are urged 'not to sit idly by'. Members are also told to 'wear masks' and cover up tattoos to avoid police detection. 

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The first AC was created in the United States in late 2020 and there are now thought to be more than 100 such groups across North America and Europe. 

The concept was originally promoted by Robert Rundo - an American far-right activist who founded the Rise Above Movement (RAM), which played a key role in the notorious 2017 Unite The Right rally in Charlottesville. 

ACs in the UK have more than 6,000 Telegram subscribers, with branches located in English regions including The North West, the Midlands, East Anglia and London. There are also groups in Scotland and Northern Ireland. 

Alexander Ritzmann, a Senior Advisor at the Counter Extremism Project, warned that Active Clubs are posing as 'just another right-wing sports club' to avoid being targeted by law enforcement.

In reality, he believes the group may be following the example of the Active Clubs in the United States and train as a 'militia' that could be used to carry out organised violence against 'enemies' of the far-right.

He called ACs 'the 'fastest growing violent extremist network that we've seen so far'. 

Telegram posts shared by the group include seemingly innocuous references to a 'summer camp' involving 'workshops', an 'arduous hike' and 'refreshing' swims in waterfalls. 

These feature among messages calling for the need to 'reinforce the strength of our race and harbour the renewal of our culture'. 

Other posts show people holding banners above motorway bridges and messages calling for 'action'. 

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One reads: 'Daily reminder: we're in a war of existence. It's ok to hate them. Go to the gym!'

Mr Ritzmann insisted it was important to take care interpreting the group's posts as they were merely 'propaganda'. 

He told MailOnline: 'They are very careful in selectively showing us what they want us to see. The original strategy from the United States specifically says that only fit, attractive men are shown on pictures and no weapons should be shown.

'It's a very clever strategy that's intended to fool observers, particularly law enforcement, into thinking that it's just a racist sports group.

'The UK network seems to have copy and pasted the strategy of the US, so they are sharing quotes from Oswald Mosley and referencing themselves in the context of the Active Club network in the United States, who are big fans of Adolf Hitler and the Brownshirts.

'The strategy is to build a shadow militia that looks like a sports club so law enforcement does not investigate them so they can grow and prepare for violence in the shadows.

'I do not know if this is being implemented 100 per cent in the UK, so this is something that researchers and investigators need to find out.'

Mr Ritzmann said the Active Club network was inspired by the Minutemen - a militia who fought against the British during the American Revolutionary War - and Hitler's SA, or Brownshirts, who formed the original paramilitary wing of the Nazi Party.

'The Active Clubs are not talking about politics and policies - this is about the militant arm of the movement that needs to be prepared for violence once a political party shows up that needs a militia to protect it,' he said.

'Oswald Moseley had the Blackshirts. He is referenced a couple of times in their communication. That's why I come to the conclusion that this is not actually a sports club.

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'In the UK there is enough space for right-wingers to organise themselves so why copy and paste this strategy from the US against political opponents?

'They're expecting that a time is coming in the near future where there could be a far-right party in the UK that is getting significant support that needs a militant arm to support them and target their opponents.'

Mr Ritzmann said any violence carried out by the group would be disguised to hide their real intention.

'If they commit a violent act they will make it look like it's a pub fight or a fight on a train. They will not leave a manifesto saying they are allegedly protecting the white race because then the police will come down on them,' he said.

'I don't think they'll pick on anti-fascists because that will immediately draw the conclusion that they are right-wingers. So what I've seen in other countries - I'm not sure in the UK yet - is that they will start fights with people of a different skin colour or religion.

'Active Clubs can be defeated if the police give them the attention they deserve. They can only be successful if law enforcement, civil society and media believe it's just another right-wing sports club.

'The overall Active Club network now has more than 130 clubs worldwide in North America and Europe. I think this is the fastest growing violent extremist network that we've seen so far.'

Patrik Hermansson, a Senior Researcher at Hope Not Hate, said ACs targeted young men who were looking for 'certainty' and a sense of community. 

'They are trying to send the message that you can be remembered as a warrior who protects your people,' he told MailOnline.  

'Lots of young men don't really know which way they are going and face a lot of challenges in life, but this is something that gives certainty. 

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'The message is that if you put enough time into fitness you will improve, then people will respect you and may even be scared of you. 

'And then there's the community aspect: you'll become part of something that exists in the real world rather than just online.

'It's a bit of a reaction against the very online far-right we've seen in the last decade and a half, which despite emphasising community and tradition was often about staying home and posting memes.' 

Mr Hermansson said groups like Active Club were becoming 'more and more common' and were boosted by Covid lockdowns. 

'This was unheard of a couple of years ago but it's a very quickly rising trend in Europe and the US,' he said. 

'It's about self-improvement and self-help, but also takes advantage of a feeling of loneliness from Covid. It makes the far-right associated with something positive, which is quite smart. 

'Then there's the excitement and violence with self-defence and martial arts. That's something we've seen for a few decades but it's making a return now. 

'That feeds into fascism which is an ideology of action. You feel like a hero and someone who takes charge and protect. That's very powerful for young men.' 

An investigation by Hope Not Hate earlier this year exposed another far-right group going by the name Active Club Scotland (ACS).

Posts showed ACS members raining and recording propaganda videos for their channel from Evo Gym in Stirling, where one of its members called Shaun Caldwell (AKA Shaun McAlonan) is known to work out.

Caldwell previously posted photos of himself making a Nazi salute and posing with a sword, according to investigation website The Ferrett.

The investigation found he stated he was ready for 'guerrilla warfare' and claimed to have 'militia' made up for 'ex forces men' in Forth Valley.

The former Patriotic Alternative activist was reported to have applied to the army reserves and wrote online in August 2021: 'I have served and am serving again soon.'