Photo :Ted Shaffery AP
A Rutgers University history professor is relocating to Spain with his family after receiving death threats, following a campaign by the campus chapter of Turning Point USA and other conservative groups calling for his dismissal.
Mark Bray, an assistant professor who studies anti-fascist movements, said Thursday that he decided to leave the U.S. for the safety of his family after being falsely labeled as a member of antifa, a term used to describe far-left activist groups that oppose fascism.
“I do not have any affiliation with any antifa group and don’t plan to,” Bray said. He is the author of Antifa: The Anti-Fascist Handbook, which examines the philosophy and tactics of anti-fascist movements in the U.S. and internationally. Bray has taught courses on anti-fascism and terrorism at Rutgers since 2019.
Speaking to The Associated Press from a hotel near Newark Airport, Bray said he will continue teaching his classes remotely. Criticism of Bray intensified on social media after President Donald Trump signed an executive order last month designating antifa as a domestic terrorist organization. Bray moved his classes online after receiving a death threat late last month.
Students in Rutgers’ Turning Point USA chapter circulated a petition claiming Bray was an “outspoken, well-known antifa member” and dubbed him “Dr. Antifa,” calling for his termination.
Although Bray is not part of any antifa groups, he has donated half the proceeds from his book to a legal-defense fund for people arrested while protesting fascism.
Bray learned about the petition after being contacted by Fox News. He said additional threats followed, and that his home address and personal family information were shared online. A Rutgers spokeswoman declined to comment on Bray’s specific situation but emphasized the university’s commitment to “providing a secure environment where all members of our community can share their opinions without fear of intimidation or harassment.”
The Turning Point USA chapter did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Some members have defended their actions as an exercise of free speech. Megyn Doyle, a Rutgers student and chapter treasurer, told Fox News that “when you have a teacher that so often promotes political violence … we believe that it puts conservative students at risk for Antifa to come in.”
The group’s petition now includes a disclaimer stating it does not support harassment or doxing of Bray or anyone else. Bray previously faced criticism for remarks in 2017 while lecturing at Dartmouth College, when he said there are circumstances in which violent self-defense against white supremacists and neo-Nazis could be justified. He told the AP he does not wish violence upon anyone.
Bray’s plans to leave the U.S. were first reported by NJ.com. He described the threats as part of a wider effort to stifle debate on college campuses.
“This is an example of the Trump administration trying to conflate protest with terrorism and public scholarship in a university with extremism,” Bray said. “Ultimately, it’s manufactured outrage to create a boogeyman term to demonize protests.”
He intends to live in Spain and teach remotely for the current academic year, hoping to return to campus next fall. Bray said his family’s initial airline reservations were canceled before takeoff. He and his wife, also a Rutgers professor, have two young children.