A new analysis shows that the far right is increasingly recruiting through online fitness groups, which have surged in popularity during the pandemic, raising fears that new members are turning to extremists to commit violence.
Researchers have discovered a network of ‘fascist fitness’ online chat groups on the messaging app Telegram with a large number directly linked to the neo-Nazi National Alternative, Britain’s largest far-right group.
European and American militant groups are regularly glorified in these groups, including the White Supremacy Movement (RAM), which is notorious for the 2018 arrest of four members for incitement and participation in violence against anti-racism protesters.
Among the British groups paying tribute to RAM is the White Stag Athletic Club (WSAC), whose members have posted pictures of swastika flags, and celebrated last November’s acquittal of Kyle Rittenhouse, who killed two anti-racism protesters in Wisconsin in 2020.
Fitness at home has boomed during the pandemic, as some digital fitness apps have attracted tens of millions of users and online groups have mushroomed to replace gym closings.
An analysis by the anti-fascist organization Hope Not Hate says the British far-right has positioned fitness as part of a “wider political struggle” and has helped explain how online groups like the WSAC can grow even after Covid restrictions are lifted.
The danger of these groups lies, first, in their focus on turning activists into soldiers who might be motivated to commit violence. And second, in the community they create, as members begin to associate real, sometimes positive change in their lives with fascism,” according to the organization’s annual assessment of the far right.
Senior researcher Patrick Hermanson said: “These fitness groups frame individual self-improvement as part of a broader political struggle, creating new motivation and a sense of purpose for people who believe physical confrontation and violence are legitimate and necessary. They have become a space for far-right activists to mobilize.”
The WSAC was formed during the pandemic, and is run by a Yorkshire security guard who uses the alias “Sarge”. He has been linked to Patriotic Alternative (PA), who previously helped launch a fascist podcast that was recently featured on his Telegram channel by PA leader Mark Collette and far-right YouTuber Laura Towler. Recently, the WSAC expanded its recruiting efforts on Telegram with members who are “eventually expected to engage in fights with each other,” indicating the group’s intent to increase its capacity for violence.
Monitoring fitness groups over several months, Hermansson watched how members were initially seduced by health advice and later encouraged in closed chat groups where far-right content was shared. For example, users like Dan who joined one of Telegram’s largest “fitness fascist” groups in July 2021 lost 45 pounds and graduated from member to admin, posting almost daily. “It is clear to associate positive change in one’s life with a violent and hateful ideology,” Hermansson said.
Among the photos posted on the collections are portraits of torso with posters of Hitler’s face. One of the group managers posted a picture of him in the gym mirror with the message “Training to stop a loaded bus [philanthropist George] Soros pushed the demonstrators.” Another member said: Defend your race, defend your land, achieve immortality.
“Ready to join SS,” an anonymous user added after posting a picture of him shirtless in the gym mirror. A number of other men have been accused of being “low” which means they have low levels of testosterone and thus associate with what they consider to be a “weak” and “androgynous” political establishment.
Members of far-right self-improvement groups believe that by becoming physically stronger, they can help prevent the white race from decimating, researcher Ben Eli said. Self-improvement, he added, “has become part of a valid Manichaean battle, significantly distorting the balance of inputs and rewards that would normally be expected.”
Oswald Moseley and the Federation of British Fascists also emphasized the importance of physical fitness to his supporters, with the party organizing gymnasiums and its magazine featuring a weekly column to keep fit.
