A Rutgers University professor known for his public defense of the Antifa movement reportedly announced over the weekend that he will be relocating to Europe and teaching remotely after a student petition demanded his removal from the university.
Mark Bray, an assistant teaching professor of history at Rutgers and author of Antifa: The Anti-Fascist Handbook, told students in an email obtained by Fox News Digital that recent threats against him and his family prompted the decision. “Hi everyone in Terrorism, unfortunately my situation has gotten worse recently,” Bray wrote to his class.
“This weekend, shortly after some negative media and social media attention (some of which, ironically enough, accused me of being a ‘terrorist’), I received another death threat and a separate threat that included my home address,” he continued. “The University and the authorities have been notified.” Bray added that he and his family would “move for the year to Europe,” citing safety concerns. “Truly I am so bummed about not being able to spend time with you all in the classroom. I really enjoyed our conversations.”
The controversy follows a petition launched Thursday by the Rutgers chapter of Turning Point USA (TPUSA), which called for Bray’s dismissal over his public advocacy of militant Antifa tactics. “We, the students of Rutgers University, are deeply concerned to learn that an outspoken, well-known antifa member, Dr. Mark Bray, is employed by the university,” the petition stated.
Referring to him as “Dr. Antifa,” the petition accused Bray of “regularly referring to mainstream conservative figures such as Bill O’Reilly as fascist” and promoting “militant actions” against political opponents.
The statement linked Bray’s rhetoric to a climate of hostility against conservatives on campus, citing recent violence targeting right-leaning activists.
In Antifa: The Anti-Fascist Handbook, Bray wrote that “at the very least 50 percent of author proceeds will go to the International Anti-Fascist Defense Fund,” which he said is managed by hundreds of Antifa activists from 18 countries. On October 4, he reportedly posted on BlueSky that “only mass antifascism, legal or not, can save us.”
Ava Kwan, the outreach coordinator for TPUSA at Rutgers, condemned what she described as Bray’s “call to violent leftist action.” While she rejected any harassment of the professor, she insisted Rutgers must “end their professional relationship” with him. “If Bray actually moves to Europe,” Kwan said, “it will be detrimental to our university’s reputation for him to siphon money from New Jersey taxpayers while vacationing in foreign localities friendlier to Antifa.”
Megyn Doyle, the chapter’s treasurer, said TPUSA’s position was rooted in protecting free expression, not suppressing it. “Freedom of speech is a core value in the United States,” she said. “However, free speech does not protect individuals from the consequences of advocating for political violence.” Doyle added, “Even with Mark Bray’s departure to Europe, the issue remains unresolved: A university professor publicly supported and helped fund a violent extremist movement.”
Bray, who has written and translated several books on anarchism and radical politics, including The Anarchist Inquisition and Translating Anarchy, was recently scheduled to speak at a New York City event titled “Another War Is Possible: Experiences in the fight against deportation, fascism, & capitalist globalization.”
A Rutgers spokesperson confirmed the university was “aware of the petition” and “gathering more information about this evolving situation.”
The dispute highlights a growing clash on American campuses over the boundaries of political activism and academic freedom — and whether universities should tolerate professors who openly endorse movements accused of promoting violence in the name of resistance.
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