On May 6, 2023, more than 100 neo-Nazis with a penchant for combat sports descended on the small village of Csókakő, Hungary to take part in an international gathering of far-right extremists dubbed “European Fight Night.” The event claimed to be “the biggest radical nationalist event since coronavirus” and boasted 16 bouts with fighters representing more than a dozen countries. 

However, what began as a secretive gathering and networking opportunity of European extremists was quickly exposed after one of the fighters failed to maintain the veil of secrecy. 

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“European Fight Night”

European Fight Night was initially scheduled to take place at a secret location in the Hungarian capital of Budapest. The secrecy was essential, as similar far-right events had been banned elsewhere in Europe and many of the participants belonged to violent neo-Nazi groups. This included the three primary organizers: the locally-based Legio Hungaria, Germany’s Kampf der Nibelungen (also known as KdN), and Pride France. 

Founded in 2013, Pride France is part far-right lifestyle brand, part neo-Nazi fight club. According to its mission statement from 2014, Pride France “is a brand for nationalists that focuses on an underground range, sport wear, and pagan. Whether to go out, to train in the gym, or practice your boxing training ‘Pride France’ will be there to help you.”

The brand maintains an online store that sells streetwear, as well as fight gear such as rash guards, gloves, and shorts, all of which are emblazoned with neo-Nazi symbolism. Some of Pride France’s most popular clothing items included its HTLR women’s t-shirt, and others that include slogans like “White Division” and “Defend Your Tradition.” The brand even has a “Halloween” shirt depicting a smiling KKK caricature with a noose and a flaming torch, as well as a selection of children’s clothing with similar white supremacist slogans.

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Karim Zidan

Karim Zidan is a investigative reporter and feature writer focusing on the intersection of sports and politics. He has written for BloodyElbow since 2014 and has served as an associate editor since 2016. He also writes for The New York Times and The Guardian. Karim has been invited to speak about his work at numerous universities, including Princeton, and was a panelist at the South by Southwest (SXSW) film festival and the Oslo Freedom Forum. He also participated in the United Nations counter-terrorism conference in 2021. His reporting on Ramzan Kadyrov’s involvement in MMA, much of which was done for Bloody Elbow, has led to numerous award nominations, and was the basis of an award-winning HBO Real Sports documentary.

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