Mark Bray, a historian and author known for his book “Antifa: The Anti-Fascist Handbook,” faced a last-minute cancellation of his flight at Newark Airport, scheduled to take him and his family to Spain. The event played out against the backdrop of intense controversy over Bray’s pedagogical promotion of anti-fascism at Rutgers University in New Jersey. Students have even nicknamed him “Dr. Antifa”—testifying to the combative nature he’s taken with the issue.
Bray has done courageous and passionate work in fighting back against fascism. Unfortunately, this has resulted in him facing death threats and harassment, including one person who promised to kill him in front of his students. Things took a particularly ugly turn following the assassination of Charlie Kirk, founder of the far-right group Turning Point USA. When Bray’s home address began circulating on social media, it initiated a petition calling for his dismissal from Rutgers University. Despite these challenges, Bray planned to relocate to Spain with his wife and two children to ensure their safety while continuing to teach remotely.
On the day of the incident, Bray learned that his family’s flight reservation had been racheted down the memory hole. That was after all three families had already checked in and gone through security.
“Someone cancelled my family’s flight out of the country at the last second,” – Mark Bray
Much of the criticism against Bray is based on very serious, if false, allegations spread by the activists working with the group Turning Point USA. Then they called him the left-wing movement’s “financier.” They charged him with advancing what they termed leftist in-school indoctrination. Right-wing influencer Jack Posobiec took it a step further, calling Bray a “domestic terrorist professor.” He demanded Bray be fired from Rutgers.
“We got our boarding passes. We checked our bags. Went through security. Then at our gate our reservation ‘disappeared,’” – Mark Bray
In response to these charges, Bray has fiercely defended his pedagogical responsibility. He is quite adamant that he is not a member of any organized anti-fascist movements.
He closed by noting his deep frustration with the continued attempts to smear him personally, and to distort his life’s work.
“My role in this is as a professor. I’ve never been part of an antifa group, and I’m not currently,” – Mark Bray
Rutgers University only recently backed the Code by publicly reaffirming its commitment to provide a supportive and safe environment for all of its community members. The administration stated, “Rutgers University is committed to providing a secure environment – to learn, teach, work and research – where all members of our community can share their opinions without fear of intimidation or harassment.” They further underscored their commitment to “Fostering Safety and Civility,” describing the need to preserve an appropriate academic environment.
“There’s an effort underway to paint me as someone who is doing the things that I’ve researched, but that couldn’t be further from the truth,” – Mark Bray
As Bray plans his upcoming move to Spain, he’s adamant that he will continue teaching remotely. More importantly, he wants you to understand that the threats he faces are not just personal, but representative of society at large.
As Bray prepares for his move to Spain, he remains resolute in his commitment to continue teaching remotely. He believes that the threats he faces are not merely personal but indicative of broader societal issues.
“I may sound conspiratorial, but I don’t think it is a coincidence,” – Mark Bray