Members of neo-Nazi 'active clubs' from across the United States have been participating in riot-style combat events with other white nationalist groups at a secretive compound in Lynchburg, Virginia, according to a Guardian investigation. The compound is run by the Wolves of Vinland, a neopagan white nationalist hate group identified by the Southern Poverty Law Center. Participants included members of the white supremacist groups Patriot Front and the Hammerskins.
The active clubs network was founded by violent neo-Nazi Robert Rundo, who served jail time in 2024 for conspiring to stage riots at California political rallies. Experts warn that these groups, which combine rightwing extremism with fitness and combat sports to recruit and radicalise community members, pose a potential public danger.
Among those attending the Virginia gatherings were a licensed school teacher from Georgia, a former West Virginia police officer who now runs a grappling gym for children, a Tennessee emergency medical technician, the son of a prominent Maine anti-abortion activist, and the owner of a Vermont dog-walking business. On 6 December, members of active clubs from Texas and Tennessee, along with Patriot Front and the Wolves, took part in an eight-versus-eight brawl at the compound, as shown in photos and videos posted to social media.
The Guardian previously revealed that some participants, including active club members Thomas Grady and Andrew Lindgren, are involved with a Russian fight club that set up a US offshoot with help from American neo-Nazis. Grady declined to comment, and Lindgren did not respond to a request for comment. Another participant, Logan Florence, a licensed massage therapist and personal trainer at a metro Atlanta sports clinic, is also a licensed school teacher. After being contacted by the Guardian, Florence deleted his Instagram account without replying.
Contact with young people has become increasingly important for rightwing movements, including active clubs, which have aggressively recruited teenage boys and launched youth-oriented offshoots. Videos and images show Wolves of Vinland member Marston Sneddon, son of prominent anti-abortion activist Leslie Sneddon, refereeing cage fights involving local teenage boys. Another Wolves member, Seth Waggener, bragged on Instagram that his own son took part in the December brawl, stating: 'Some people watch their sons play little league … this weekend I watched my youngest in an 8v8 hooligan brawl.'
