Secret far-right 'fight club' uncovered training for race war in London park - The Mirror

The Active Club - which has established itself in the US and Europe - involves sessions in which the thugs would complete fitness drills, weight lifting and boxing, believing they're preparing themselves for a race war

An investigation has revealed that a neo-Nazi fitness club has been operating in the shadow of the MI6 building.

An undercover reporter infiltrated Active Club England and found supporters throwing Nazi salutes within sight of the building and boasting about weapons. The group is part of a growing trend for far-right fitness clubs which seek to train members for what they see as an imminent "race war."

Ashley Sharp, 43, a prison officer from Barnsley, was jailed for eight years in November 2023, after a court heard he was the founder and "commander" of the White Stag Athletic Club, established to train others to be "soldiers" for their racist cause.

ITV News infiltrated the London branch of Active Club which has also established itself in the US and Europe over the last five years, seeking to promote a "warrior culture" while using Nazi insignia. The sessions involved fitness drills, boxing and weight lifting and they discussed a plan to rent an indoor gym where they would be able to train with weapons.

One member talked of printing 3D firearms and another boasted: "I've got about a grand's worth of throwing knives and axes and all that and I got a bunch of bows and s**t as well." One online message said they were attempting to "appeal to the youth with a sense of adventure and edginess."

At a meeting of members outside the Sainsbury's Local near the station in Vauxhall, South London, they were told to turn their phones off and given the location for training in nearby Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens.

They ended the sessions by performing a Nazi salute and posing with a St George flag, then went on to cafes and pubs to discuss ideology. One member said: "How cool would it be if they got us for the Nazi salute that we done here yeah? And with the MI6 building in the background?"

Another member referred to being vegetarian like "Like Uncle Addy" - a reference to Adolf Hitler - and in online postings, they celebrated Hitler's birthday with a cake decorated with a swastika.

At later meetings, members used racial and antisemitic slurs and one member said: "We're here to defend ourselves when the s**t hits the fan and after the s** is over, there's going to be a power vacuum and someone needs to step up. We're here to take power whenever the opportunity arises."

The members included "Glenn" whose real name is Jay Barlow and who had served a four year prison sentence for trying to stab a man in a supermarket knife attack.

Neil Basu, former head of Counter-Terrorism Policing, described Active Club England as the "successor to National Action", a group aimed at young recruits which was banned after celebrating the murder of MP Jo Cox. "It's very clear - the racism, the white supremacy, the antisemitism - it's severe. These are people preparing to commit acts of violence," he said.

"Eventually they will attract somebody who has no problem with that whatsoever, because we've seen a lot of vulnerable, mostly young, men who are attracted to violence, searching for a cause, and here is a cause being presented to them."