‘Fascist fitness’: how the far right is recruiting with online gym groups

Anti-fascist group Hope Not Hate says extremists present self-improvement as part of wider political struggle

The far right is increasingly recruiting via online fitness groups, whose popularity soared during the pandemic, prompting fears that new members are being radicalised to commit acts of violence, new analysis shows.

Researchers have detected a network of online fascist fitness" chat groups on the messaging app Telegram with a large number directly linked to the neo-Nazi Patriotic Alternative, Britain's biggest extreme right group.