‘There’s Fun in Fascism!’ White Nationalists Tells 60 Minutes They Use ‘Disaster Tourism’ As a Recruitment Tool

White nationalist groups like Patriot Front and others have been descending on storm-ravaged areas across the U.S. to help rebuild communities and recruit new members, according to a 60 Minutes report on Sunday.

Correspondent Leslie Stahl interviewed Robert Rundo, co-founder of white nationalist group “Active Club,” who said his group participates in “disaster tourism” to change peoples’ perceptions of what it means to be an avowed fascist.

“Going to a disaster relief is directly helping our people,” Rundo said.

Stahl added, “You go in to help white people,” to which Rundo answered, “Yeah.”

Stahl said Rundo co-founded the group in 2020 “as a place for disgruntled, young white men to work out together, while sharing their ideology.”

With more than 90 chapters, Active Club is described by watchdog groups “as one of the country’s fastest growing white supremacist networks that are antisemitic, anti-immigrant, and anti-democracy,” Stahl said.

“We get together with the boys. We box, we travel,” Rundo said.

“Do you think of it as fun?” Stahl asked.

“Of course. You know, there’s fun in fascism!” Rundo said.

Rundo described himself as a “nationalist,” who puts “my people first.”

“But ‘My people’ are white people. European white people,” Stahl said.

“Right. And there’s plenty of organizations that are geared towards other ethnic groups, right. If we don’t look out for ourselves, who is?” Rundo asked.

Stahl asked what would happen if the group went to a flood, fire, or hurricane zone and came upon a non-white person who needed help.

“Like if there was, like, a guy in a fire, would I give him water? Yeah. I’d probably give him some water,” Rundo said.

Rundo added that “disaster tourism” is an excellent way to recruit new members.

“We hand out flyers, you know. If somebody wants to contact us later, that’s fine. But just us showing up changes somebody’s opinion, someone’s mind, so the next time when they put something out and they say, ‘These evil guys,’ they say, ‘Wait a second. That’s the guy who came when my house was on fire and helped me out,'” Rundo said.

“What do you say to people who argue that you go in, the purpose is to have some video shot of you handing out some water, and then you leave and the whole point was for — to get that video so that you could post it?” Stahl asked.

“That kinda sounds like what everyone does, right?” Rundo said. “That’s what a president.. That when he goes into a community they have the cameras there. So, is that bottle of water actually being handed out? Absolutely it is. Does our guys actually care and feel for the people they’re helping out. Absolutely. Do we also video it and put it out there to show another side of us? Absolutely.”

Watch the clip above via CBS.

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