Mark Bray and his family faced a shocking disruption at Newark airport when they discovered their flight to Spain had been canceled, amid rising threats linked to Bray’s work on Antifa. Bray, a Rutgers professor and author of Antifa: The Anti-Fascist Handbook, believed the cancellation was politically motivated, a consequence of Trump’s campaign against Antifa, a decentralized movement opposing fascism.
The situation escalated after the killing of far-right activist Charlie Kirk, leading Trump to label Antifa a “domestic terrorist organization” without evidence connecting them to Kirk’s death. Right-wing media intensified attacks on Bray, resulting in threats against him and calls for his dismissal due to mischaracterizations of his stance on Antifa.
Bray and his family decided to move to Spain temporarily for safety, teaching remotely while dealing with numerous threats. His initial attempt to board raised concerns, with customs agents interrogating him about his contributions to anti-fascist causes. Bray views these challenges as part of a broader strategy by the Trump administration to suppress opposition, using Antifa as a scapegoat. He has expressed concern over the rise of autocratic tactics in targeting dissent, noting how his life was dramatically altered by external political motivations.
