He Wrote About Anti-Fascism—Then Fled the Country

Key Takeaways

Rutgers professor Mark Bray faced death threats after 'Antifa' was declared a terrorist organization.
Bray, author of 'Antifa: The Anti-Fascist Handbook', left the U.S. for Spain due to escalating threats.
Right-wing groups launched a campaign to have Bray terminated from Rutgers over his academic work.
Bray views political struggles as cyclical, with progressive actions historically triggering conservative backlashes.

Rutgers professor Mark Bray received death threats after President Trump declared 'Antifa' a terrorist organization.
Bray, author of the 2017 book 'Antifa: The Anti-Fascist Handbook,' became a target despite clarifying he is not a member of Antifa.
Due to mounting threats, including those against his children, Bray, a leftist academic, left the United States for Spain.

Mark Bray wrote 'Antifa: The Anti-Fascist Handbook' in 2017 to explain historical resistance against rising far-right and white supremacist groups.
Bray clarifies Antifa is a political movement with affiliated groups, not a unified organization, emphasizing self-defense with minimal force.
After the 2017 Charlottesville rally, Bray's media appearances, where he discussed self-defense against neo-Nazis, led to denouncements and death threats.
Over 100 Dartmouth faculty publicly supported Bray's academic freedom amidst the backlash.

Harassment against Bray included a bomb scare at his work, part of a broader pattern following a Trump-era executive order targeting 'Antifa'.
Bray initially believed Trump's 2020 election loss might end his political influence but predicted the continuation of his political style.
The guest described a 'paradox of leftism,' where progressive actions historically trigger conservative reactions, citing examples from the 1920s-30s and Civil Rights era.

Bray's renewed troubles began after a tweet from Jack Posobiec labeled him a 'domestic terrorist professor' and an article in the Washington Examiner, leading to his first death threat.
He states the Rutgers community largely supported him, viewing the situation as amplified by a small group of Rutgers students acting as a proxy for a larger right-wing organization.
A petition by Turning Point USA at Rutgers demanded Bray's termination, referencing Trump's executive order on Antifa.

The petition demanding Bray's termination, which had fewer than 100 signatures, was deemed a 'manufactured story' that nonetheless escalated into more threats and doxing.
Bray decided to leave the U.S. after receiving a doxing email, experiencing a mysterious last-minute flight cancellation, and facing an hour-long interrogation by customs agents.
His children experienced distress, including one having a nightmare about police, leading Bray to tell them they are on a 'research trip' in Spain.

The guest describes the current political climate as a 'new red scare,' noting he has become a reference point for discussions on academic freedom and free speech.
Bray contrasts the current situation with 2017, observing a 'stranger and more serious' invocation of his eight-year-old work without recent anti-fascist/far-right conflicts.
He attributes the relatively low 1800 signatures on the Change.org petition to manufactured outrage, noting overwhelming student support at Rutgers.
Bray confirms feeling safe and happy in Spain, indicating his departure from the U.S. was motivated by safety concerns.