‘Dr. Antifa’ saga explodes as Rutgers professor grounded in Newark

✈️ Dr. Mark Bray’s flight to Europe was abruptly canceled at Newark Airport

⚠️ Rutgers’ Turning Point USA chapter branded him "Dr. Antifa" to have him fired

🎓 Bray denied being part of any antifa group

NEW BRUNSWICK — A Rutgers University professor who said he was fleeing death threats tied to a conservative student group’s campaign against him was stopped in his tracks this week when his family’s flight to Europe was suddenly canceled moments before takeoff.

Mark Bray, a historian who studies modern Spain and social movements, said he's faced months of harassment after being branded “Dr. Antifa” by the Rutgers chapter of Turning Point USA, a conservative organization founded by the late Charlie Kirk. The group publicly urged Rutgers to fire Bray, claiming his scholarship and teaching supported left-wing extremism.

Bray, who wrote the 2017 book “Antifa: The Anti-Fascist Handbook,” has repeatedly said he has no affiliation with any Antifa group and teaches about political extremism and anti-fascism from an academic perspective. But that distinction didn’t shield him from the backlash.

He told students he no longer felt safe after death threats began appearing online. The threats, some tied to his home address, became so intense that Bray and his wife, Yesenia Barragan, also a Rutgers history professor, decided to leave the country for a year and relocate to Europe, he said.

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Trump's crackdown on antifa sparks debate

Bray wrote on Thursday night that he was finally on his way to Spain. He thanked "all of the Rutgers students and faculty who have supported us every step of the way."

The delay happened the same day President Donald Trump held a roundtable discussion about Antifa, which is short for “anti-fascists” and is used to describe far-left-leaning militant groups. They include groups that resist fascists and neo-Nazis, especially at demonstrations. In September, Trump signed an order designating gthe roup as a domestic terrorist organization,

“I do not have any affiliation with any antifa group and don’t plan to,” Bray, who wrote the book “Antifa: The Anti-Fascist Handbook,” which documents the philosophy and tactics of militant anti-fascist movements in the U.S. and around the world, told the Associated Press. He has taught courses on anti-fascism and terrorism at the university since 2019.

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Rutgers defends free speech and academic freedom

Rutgers spokeswoman Melissa Blake said the university does not comment on specific 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. Rutgers is committed to upholding the rights of students and faculty to free speech and academic freedom as fundamental to our community," Blake said.

Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, was assassinated during an appearance at Utah State University in Logan on Sept. 10. The group has received tens of thousands of requests to create new chapters in high schools and colleges since Kirk's death.

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