The number of combat sports clubs associated with far-right ideology increased in Finland last year, according to the Finnish Security Intelligence Service (Supo).
"Such activities are important for networking and recruiting people linked to the far-right, among other things," Supo said.
One example is Active Club Finland, which organised combat sports events at the 'White Boy Summer Fest', a neo-Nazi and far-right extremist gathering held in Ruovesi in June. Other organisers of the events included the extremist group Tulenväki and the far-right combat sports club Veren Laki. The investigative journalism group Bellingcat reported on this gathering.
According to Supo, these far-right groups in Finland organise demonstrations, music events, and combat sports training sessions.
Disbanded Neo-Nazi group members still active
Although the several extremist groups have different names, their activities are "network-like" and include the same individuals, according to researcher Niko Pyrhönen, an expert in right-wing populism.
Pyrhönen said that members of the Nordic Resistance Movement, known in Finland as PVL, still operate within these networks.
The Nordic Resistance Movement is Sweden's largest neo-Nazi group, which also operates in Norway, Denmark, and Iceland. In Finland, the Supreme Court ordered PVL to be disbanded in 2020.
Supo confirmed that some former PVL members continue to actively engage in and promote far-right activities in Finland.
According to Pyrhönen, the groups operate as a network because the disbanding of the PVL has made it difficult for them to function under a single common name.
"It is also harder for authorities to intervene in the groups' activities when there are multiple organisations," he said.
New names to attract followers
Pyrhönen said Finland's far-right groups use newer names to attract more people — this also allows them to claim their activities are different from PVL's.
This logic also applies to how the groups brand themselves. For instance, Active Club members highlight their athletic and healthy lifestyles, which are strongly associated with combat sports.
"These are things that even people who are not members of the movements, but who are interested in their activities on some level, will find easy to grasp," Pyrhönen said.
Active Club has adopted an ideology known as Nationalism 3.0, which has been launched within far-right circles and aims to spread white nationalism in a more concealed manner than before.
This ideology emphasises self-improvement, a warrior identity, combat sports training, and preparation to defend the white race against outsiders.
Active Club operates in Kokkola, Uusimaa, Oulu, Turku, Tampere, and Päijät-Häme.
Despite the presence of multiple extremist groups in Finland, they share the same ideology and goals, according to Pyrhönen.
However, Pyrhönen believes far-right groups in Finland lack the means to achieve their fantasised social order.
Yle was unable to reach Veren Laki, Tulenväki, and Active Club for comment.
