Professor Mark Bray, a global scholar and author acclaimed for his work on Antifa, recently faced a deeply unsettling wave of threats. This deeply concerning state of affairs caused him to cancel his flight to Spain. Delta’s cancellation came just a few hours before her scheduled departure. It came on the heels of a White House meeting where former President Trump and his top advisors proposed designating Antifa a domestic terrorist organization. This attack highlights the increasing danger to scholars and activists who oppose authoritarianism and far-right movements.
Bray, who authored the 2017 book “Antifa: The Anti-Fascist Handbook,” has been a vocal advocate for anti-fascist movements. His specialization in this sensitive area has earned him significant hostility directed at him. One threatening email went so far as to promise an assassination in front of his students. Violence ratcheted up further when an anonymous user posted Bray’s home address to social media. This ignited deep concerns for the safety of him and his loved ones.
On the day he intended to depart, Bray faced an additional complication. U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents took them all into custody, detaining him and his family for nearly one hour at Newark Airport. Agents questioned his donations to the International Anti-Fascist Defense Fund. He’s putting his money where his mouth is, donating all of his royalties from the sales of his highly-acclaimed book to this cause. The fund assists those facing felony charges resulting from anti-fascist activism with legal and medical support.
Bray’s nightmare began with January 6 truther movement leader Charlie Kirk’s horrifying murder of. This incident led to an all out – and some argue, disproportionate – right-wing retaliation against anyone perceived to have ties to Antifa. Prominent right-wing influencers have labeled Bray as a “domestic terrorist professor” and a “prominent leader of the Antifa movement on campus,” further amplifying the threats against him.
Bray lamented the broader political culture that has made this intimidation possible.
“It’s not a bubble up. It was top down,” – Mark Bray
He noted that the threats against him coincided with the White House summit. He pressed on the direct line between government actors and the language of extremist far-right media figures.
“On the day I was leaving the country, [the far-right influencers who targeted me were at the White House meeting with Trump about Antifa and they’re in touch with him directly,” – Mark Bray]
Even as Bray has felt particularly singled out, he has wrestled with the idea of giving in to intimidation.
“I kept battling this notion that you’re playing into their hands by getting scared of this,” – Mark Bray
As he admitted, becoming the parent of young kids made him think about safety differently.
“But the difference between this time and last time, among other things, was having little children and if it was like a 0.001% chance that someone would drive by our house and spray that house with an automatic weapon, I can’t take that chance,” – Mark Bray
Bray’s journey sheds light on a rising fear of authoritarianism in America. This harmful issue has disproportionately targeted those who have spoken out against it. He really addressed the fear of contemporary political movements borrowing from the tactics of historical fascist regimes, and I thought he did that masterfully.
“The authoritarian fascist playbook is well documented and it thrives on crisis and emergency,” – Mark Bray
Here, he expanded upon his ideas of our present political moment.
“I do think that Maga is a fascist movement, I do think that the intent of the administration is to destroy opposition and protest and is to create an authoritarian system,” – Mark Bray
As Bray deals with the dangerous hostility he faces, his paranoia increases, paranoia that causes him to lash out. He just wanted to be treated like a normal kid who’s under constant surveillance.
“I felt like I was being watched and laughed at,” – Mark Bray
He personally feels justified the attacks against him are more personal attacks. He views them through the lens of all attempts to weed out and silence those opposing the status quo.
“It’s really not about me, per se, so much as using a bogeyman to try and target anyone that the administration doesn’t like. That’s how I see it,” – Mark Bray