Extremism expert warns fitness craze fuels right-wing male radicalisation

In a recent interview, Austrian extremism scholar Julia Ebner warned that the surge in fitness and combat-sport culture is being weaponised by right-wing movements to radicalise disaffected young men. She observes that these groups have hijacked gyms and martial-arts studios, creating a training environment that mirrors the hard-physical drills of the Hitler Youth in the 1930s, thereby building loyalty and a sense of brotherhood.

Ebner explains that the ideal of a dominant, muscular male body is tied to a notion of "evolutionary fitness," which she says echoes Nazi ideas. Organisations such as "Active Clubs" lure men with images of six-pack abs while simultaneously indoctrinating them with racist and anti-women rhetoric, targeting isolated, online-active youths who feel like losers. According to Ebner, the backlash against the #MeToo movement has intensified a desire among some men for a radical counter-culture.

She argues that left-wing and liberal actors have ignored these masculine insecurities for too long, leaving a vacuum filled by parties like the AfD, Reform UK and MAGA. Ebner urges the creation of counter-programs in combat-sport venues that promote healthier, more inclusive forms of masculinity.