Rutgers professor Mark Bray fled to Spain after death threats following Charlie Kirk’s assassination, then wrote a book calling America ‘fascist.’ now
Rutgers University professor and Antifa author Mark Bray has detailed his decision to leave the United States after receiving death threats in the aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s assassination, turning the experience into a forthcoming book about what he describes as America’s “fascist present.”
Bray, who wrote Antifa: The Anti-Fascist Handbook, moved to Spain with his wife and two children after his home address was circulated online and he said he received multiple threats. His new book, Unpunctuated Death Threats: Notes from a Fascist Present, is scheduled for release in January 2027.
Mark Bray says threats forced family to leave
According to the book’s publisher, Bray decided to take the threats seriously following the September 2025 assassination of Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA.
The publisher says Bray attempted to leave the country with his family but was stopped and questioned by federal agents at an airport before eventually making it to Spain. The experience, according to the publisher, left him deeply shaken.
Bray has said he relocated abroad “for safety reasons” after being doxxed and receiving death threats.
The controversy surrounding the Rutgers professor intensified after Kirk’s killing, as political battles over Antifa and its relationship to political violence became increasingly prominent.
Bray’s Antifa book put him in political spotlight
Bray became nationally known after publishing Antifa: The Anti-Fascist Handbook in 2017, a history of the anti-fascist movement.
His academic work and public comments have made him a controversial figure among conservative activists. A Rutgers chapter of Turning Point USA launched a petition seeking his removal from the university, accusing him of promoting militant anti-fascist politics.
Bray has pushed back against portrayals of him as an Antifa organization leader. In previous comments, he has described himself as a researcher who supports anti-fascism but has said he has never been part of an organized Antifa group.
Charlie Kirk assassination changed political climate
Kirk was assassinated on September 10, 2025, while speaking at Utah Valley University during his American Comeback Tour. His death intensified political tensions across the United States and prompted renewed scrutiny of extremist and political movements.
Bray’s publisher directly links his decision to leave the country to the atmosphere following Kirk’s assassination.
The publisher’s description of the new book argues that Bray became a target amid what it characterizes as rising far-right influence, online harassment and political violence. Those descriptions reflect Bray’s perspective and the publisher’s framing of the book.
The Guardian previously reported that Bray received threats after his home address was posted online and that he and his family ultimately traveled to Spain.
New book describes America as a “fascist” present
Bray’s forthcoming book takes a broader look at the political environment that he says drove his family from the United States.
Unpunctuated Death Threats is described by its publisher as a personal account of the threats against Bray and his interpretation of the current American political climate.
The book is scheduled to be published January 19, 2027, by Melville House. Publisher information lists the book at 240 pages and says Bray continues to teach at Rutgers remotely from an undisclosed location in Spain.
Bray’s account is likely to fuel an already intense debate over political violence, academic freedom, Antifa and the increasingly hostile environment surrounding political figures and commentators.
Rutgers professor remains a polarizing figure
The controversy has continued beyond Bray’s departure.
Conservative students at Rutgers have criticized his political views and past writings, while Bray has maintained that attacks against him are politically motivated and that he has been targeted because of his scholarship and anti-fascist views.
Fox News reported that the university and Bray were contacted for comment regarding the latest book and controversy.
For Bray, the move to Spain has now become more than a personal safety decision. It forms the central backdrop of a book in which he examines the threats he says forced his family to leave the country and his broader concerns about the direction of American politics.
With the book’s release approaching, Bray’s account is expected to keep the debate over Antifa, political violence and America’s increasingly polarized political climate in the national spotlight.
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