A Rutgers University professor who taught a course on anti-fascism was blocked from leaving the US for Spain on Wednesday night, according to media reports, hours after Donald Trump hosted a White House roundtable highlighting the impact of antifa – or “anti-fascist” – far-left activists.
Mark Bray, an historian who published the 2017 book Antifa: The Anti-Fascist Handbook, and has taught courses on anti-fascism at the New Jersey university, was attempting to board a plane at Newark airport bound for Europe when he was informed at the boarding gate that the reservations for him and his family had been cancelled.
The professor, nicknamed “Dr Antifa” by a group of students, had said he was moving to Europe after receiving death threats. Turning Point USA activists have claimed he is a “financier” for the leftwing movement.
“‘Someone’ cancelled my family’s flight out of the country at the last second,” Bray posted on Bluesky social media. “We got our boarding passes. We checked our bags. Went through security. Then at our gate our reservation ‘disappeared.’”
A petition calling for his removal from the university had been launched in the weeks following the assassination of the Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk and Bray’s home address was revealed on social media.
One threat included a vow to kill him in front of his students, according to the Washington Post. The threats led to Bray’s decision to relocate to Spain with his wife and two children and to continue to teach his students remotely.
“Since my family and I do not feel safe in our home at the moment, we are moving for the year to Europe,” Bray said in an email to students on Sunday. “Truly I am so bummed about not being able to spend time with you all in the classroom.”
Bray told the New York Times earlier on Wednesday that “my role in this is as a professor. I’ve never been part of an antifa group, and I’m not currently.” But he added that “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.”
Bray told the outlet that the family were rebooked for Thursday evening but were in the dark about why the earlier booking had been cancelled. “I may sound conspiratorial, but I don’t think it is a coincidence,” he said. “We’re at a hotel and we’re just going to try again.”
After Kirk’s assassination, the rightwing influencer Jack Posobiec called Bray a “domestic terrorist professor” on X. The Rutgers chapter of Turning Point USA then circulated a petition that accused the professor of being an “outspoken, well-known antifa member” and called for his dismissal.
The Rutgers chapter of Turning Point USA has said it does not support harassment or doxing, but Bray is on a list of academics the group identifies as advancing left-leaning classroom propaganda.
“Do you want to become a socialist? If so, make sure to pay this professor a visit!!!! All jokes aside help us report this professor who has ties to Antifa which now is designated as a domestic terrorist organization,” the Rutgers chapter posted on Instagram several days ago.
In a statement, Rutgers said it did not comment on personnel or student conduct matters.
“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,” it added.
