Words by Deputy Content Editor Sophia Ankel
In September, a group of America’s most notorious white supremacists met at an undisclosed venue in Texas.
A photograph of the event shows a dozen men — some blurred, some not — with their fists pressed to their chests in an apparent fascist salute.
Some of the men are familiar figures in US extremism circles: Thomas Rousseau (centre front), founder of the neo-fascist group Patriot Front; Robert Rundo (far-left), a convicted criminal known for starting the now-global Active Club network; and Eric Orwoll (far-right), who recently established a “whites-only” settlement in the mountains of Arkansas.
Among them, however, is also a counterpart from the UK. In the photograph (left of Rousseau), his face is blurred, though the caption that accompanied it on social media calls him a “delegate” for the fascist group, Vanguard Britannica.
ITV News can reveal for the first time that his name is Matthew Gravill — a former warden for the Royal Collection Trust at Buckingham Palace and one of Britain’s leading fascists.
Gravill not only has links to Vanguard Britannica but has also played a key role in the far-right group Active Club England, neither of which has been proscribed by the UK government.
But how did a 26-year-old man from Leicestershire come to lead a delegation of Brits to the highest-level meeting of fascists in America?
And how are far-right factions, like Active Club and Patriot Front, involved? ITV News explains.
Who is Matthew Gravill?
Earlier this year, ITV News released a six-month investigation that revealed how Active Club England operates.
Undercover footage exposed the group’s fortnightly “fitness sessions”, social gatherings, and online conversations. Members were captured carrying out combat-style exercises, giving Nazi salutes, and discussing the use of weapons.
One key figure in these meetings was Matthew Gravill.
In one meeting, Gravill – who went by his alias “John” – implied he was responsible for producing much of the group’s propaganda materials online.
“I do Photoshop. I do all the photos, the artwork, the designs, the logos, the Active Club symbols. I talk with all our friends abroad,” he said. He also fondly referred to Adolf Hitler as “Uncle Addy”.
This was not his first foray into far-right activism; he also acted as a key organiser for Vanguard Britannica, ITV News can reveal.
In January, he helped host a “training summit” for the group in the Thames Valley, where members discussed “ideology, tactics and organising”, according to one social media post.
When confronted by ITV News, Gravill addressed questions about the meeting, his Buckingham Palace role, and his political beliefs — see here.
What is the Active Club network?
Active Club is a Neo-Nazi network that is built around white supremacist ideology and presents itself as a community focused on fitness and fraternity.
Members see themselves as patriotic crusaders who are training for a so-called “race war”.
The network is structured in small, decentralised chapters designed to maintain secrecy. It is incredibly careful about how it presents itself online and focuses heavily on localised recruitment.
Heidi Beirich, the co-founder of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism, told ITV News that members of the group “believe that the US and Western European countries should be all white states.”
“They’re kind of like a white supremacist militia in training,” she added.
Who is the founder of Active Club, Rob Rundo?
Active Club was founded in late 2020 by California-native Robert Rundo.
Rundo was leading the Rise Above Movement, a now-defunct white supremacist street gang that trained in combat sports for the purpose of attacking political opponents.
In 2018, he fled the US to Europe after being accused of rioting and conspiracy to violence. Whilst there, he promoted the idea of forming “Active Clubs” — what he described as “small-styled local clubs combining fitness and nationalist activism”.
He was arrested in Romania in 2023 and, after deportation back to the US, was sentenced to two years of time served, followed by two years of supervised release.
Since 2021, the network has expanded rapidly, establishing a presence in at least 25 US states as well as the UK, Europe, South America, and Australia.
Beirich said this rapid growth is concerning: “This is not something to be taken lightly. This is something for the police to keep an eye on, or intelligence agencies. The potential for violence from these groups is far higher than just regular people.”
Active Club England
Earlier this year, Active Club England had at least 100 members and eight chapters across the UK, though numbers are now likely to be higher.
Recruits to the group are subject to a vetting process before being invited to take part in private training sessions.
Once accepted, members gain access to encrypted messaging groups where propaganda is shared, and meetings are organised.
The group launched a big recruitment drive in the wake of the 2024 Southport riots, which attracted dozens of new members.
What is Vanguard Britannica?
Vanguard Britannica is a smaller fascist group that emerged in the UK in 2022.
It shares some of the Active Club approach, such as a focus on white-only fraternity and fitness, but it is a more outwardly political group, promoting certain policies such as the detention and deportation of migrants, and its members take part in protests.
Vanguard Britannica frequently shares photos online of its banners and stickers, which it distributes in public places across the UK, featuring heavily anti-immigrant messaging.
Over the summer, the group increased its stickering activity, particularly in areas where protests against asylum seeker hotels were taking place.
What is Patriot Front, and how is it linked to Active Club?
Patriot Front is a white nationalist organisation in the United States that promotes the idea of a homogenous and white-only America.
Thomas Rousseau founded the group in the aftermath of the infamous “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017.
The group is best known for its marches in various communities, where members are often pictured in their uniform – dark shirts, khaki trousers, and face coverings – carrying Confederate and historical US flags.
Patriot Front members have been involved in desecrating the Arthur Ashe Memorial in Richmond, Virginia, and threatening Black businesses in certain states.
“Unfortunately, we are in an era where white supremacy is thriving,” Beirich told ITV News.
“If you were talking to me 10 years ago, the size of the problem would have been much less than it is today. And Patriot Front is a key player in this movement.”
A growing international network
The fact that Gravill was pictured with the likes of Rousseau and Rundo highlights the increasingly international nature of the white supremacy movement.
“Nobody that I know had any idea this event was occurring,” Beirich said. “It was that secret, which is quite an organisational feat for Patriot Front. But I think the fact that they kept it secret also allowed people from the UK to come to the United States and join this event without getting flagged in some way.”
“I think this is the initiation of an era of these groups working more closely together and working together to build the white supremacist movement, not just in the United States, but internationally,” Beirich added.
Heidi Beirich, of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism, on the significance of Matthew Gravill’s visit to the United States.
More than anything, Gravill’s attendance at the event in America also demonstrates his importance in these circles — and what he might be bringing back to the UK.
“This was all the prominent figures from groups who are highly active right now in white supremacy, and who believe in the ethnic cleansing of countries,” she said.
“That’s what’s coming back to the UK with this connection. Those ideas, those connections to violence, those threats to non-white communities.”
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