[4] The group appointed Conservative councillor and campaign manager Gary Markwell as their chairman.

[2] The organisation was criticised when conservative blogger Guido Fawkes revealed that individuals within a WhatsApp group described by Fawkes as a "precursor" to Activate made comments about gassing "chavs", performing "medical experiments on them ... [using] them as substitutes for animals", as well as mandating "compulsory birth control on chavs".

[13] Having gained prominence in August 2017, Activate held a launch event in March 2018 in London, attended by 28 people in a room booked for 150.

Chairman Gary Markwell said at the launch, "It's amazing what a response Tommy Robinson and Britain First get on Facebook, how they engage people.

"[14] In Vice, Ben van der Merwe wrote that the organisation was "doomed from the start", having an "impossible mission".