Inside Ireland’s ‘fight club’ for right-wing extremists

In The News

Comhaltas na nGaedheal (CnG) is a newly-established group of right-wing extremists in Ireland. It focuses on physical confrontation and is part of a growing international network of so-called “active clubs”.

The Active Club movement mixes extreme right-wing positions with a focus on masculinity and physical fitness, particularly mixed martial arts.

The CnG group frequently posts photographs of its members engaged in combat sports training. Great care is taken to blur faces and other identifying marks. In some cases, participants’ footwear is even blurred to conceal their identities.

Members of the group have shown up at several anti-immigrant protests, including in Coolock last March.

CnG does not just want a dramatic reduction in immigration, it wants mass deportations, according to an associate of the group who spoke with The Irish Times.

In this episode, Irish Times Crime and Security correspondent Conor Gallagher assesses just how much of a threat these groups of self-styled “Irish patriots” are and how the Garda is handling this wave of far right groups.

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