Mark Bray, historian of antifascism is now in exile, thanks to the backlash over Charlie Kirk’s murder and the Trump administration's accelerating attempts to label antifascists as terrorists. Bray, his partner and their two young children fled the US after the local Turning Point USA chapter posted a petition to have him fired from Rutgers, where he teaches. Altogether, these attacks prompted a flood of death threats.
But no one can exile the work. Mark joins me to ground antifascism in history, movement strategy, and parenting. We unpack how education becomes propaganda when sourcing and truth-testing are abandoned; and how movements need a diversity of rhetoric—from accessible to militant.
Also: navigating slogans like Abolish ICE, ACAB, and Globalize the Intifada, and the Glastonbury “Death to the IDF” chant. We compare liberal/centrist antifascism with mass, working-class antifascism, and manage to end on hope: making space for young people’s bold experiments even when veteran organizers feel the weight of years.
Also: news from the Portland Frog detachment!
The full second half—movement discipline, courts vs. power, deeper dive on slogans, and my reflection on Mark’s “technique vs. content” distinction—is live now for supporters: https://www.patreon.com/cw/AntifascistDadPodcast.
Pre-order the book that powers this podcast: Antifascist Dad: Urgent Conversations with Young People in Chaotic Times (pub date April 26, 2026)
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/807656/antifascist-dad-by-matthew-remski/
Notes
Bray, Mark. Antifa: The Anti-Fascist Handbook. Brooklyn, NY: Melville House Publishing, 2017.
Bray, Mark, and Robert H. Haworth, eds. Anarchist Education and the Modern School: A Francisco Ferrer Reader. Translated by Mark Bray and Joseph McCabe. Oakland, CA: PM Press, 2019
Meet the Portland protest frog that started a movement - YouTube
‘I’ve definitely had spicier tamales,’ says Portland ICE protest frog that got pepper sprayed by federal agents - oregonlive.com
ICE Agents Shoot Pepper Spray into Protester's Frog Costume Air Vent
Antifa expert at Rutgers University flees US amid death threats
He Wrote a Book About Antifa. Death Threats Are Driving Him Out of the US | WIRED
Antifa expert at Rutgers University says he is moving to Spain because of death threats
Chapters
- (00:00:00) - How many Turning Point USA members does it take to send a historian
- (00:00:27) - Anti-Fascist Dad Podcast: Mark Bray in Exile
- (00:06:51) - Fascist Squish
- (00:13:10) - Antifa vs Anti-Fascists: Part 2
- (00:18:12) - Mark Bray: Anti-Fascist Dad
- (00:20:40) - In the Elevator With Anti-Fascists
- (00:23:11) - Making Anti-Fascism Legible to Young People
- (00:27:49) - What Are the Early Messages Students Get About Fascism?
- (00:38:59) - Fooled by Fascism: Seth Todd
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