Leftists try to shut down Turning Point USA at Rutgers for criticizing Antifa professor

Tyler Robinson, the homosexual leftist accused of assassinating Charlie Kirk, claimed in advance of the fatal Sept. 10 shooting at Utah Valley University that the Turning Point USA founder was “spreading hate,” charging documents say.

Leftists have now leveled the same accusation against the TPUSA student chapter at Rutgers University, using a pressure campaign in hopes of shutting down speech deemed hateful.

How it started

Mark Bray is an assistant teaching professor at Rutgers University who has not only seemingly championed the terrorist group Antifa and its use of violence but wrote the 2017 book “Antifa: The Anti-Fascist Handbook.”

Within hours of stating that “only mass antifascism, legal or not, can save us,” Bray claimed on the liberal X knockoff Bluesky that he received “multiple death threats + doxing” following alleged harassment from Turning Point USA.

It appears he was referring to the attempt by the Rutgers chapter of TPUSA to get him fired.

The petition started by the TPUSA student chapter’s treasurer, Megyn Doyle, states, “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.”

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Mark Bray (left) peddling his book on ‘Meet the Press’ in 2017. Photo by: William B. Plowman/NBC/NBC Newswire/NBCUniversal via Getty Images.

“With the current trend of left-wing terrorism, having a prominent leader of the antifa movement on campus is a threat to conservative students on campus,” continues the petition. “Dr. Bray has regularly referred to mainstream conservative figures such as Bill O’Reilly as fascist while he calls for militant actions to be taken against these individuals. This is the kind of rhetoric that resulted in Charlie Kirk being assassinated last month.”

In addition to flagging Bray’s apparent defense of political violence and incendiary rhetoric, the petition highlighted a note in the professor’s book that indicates 50% of the proceeds would go to the International Anti-Fascist Defence Fund, which supports Antifa activists around the world.

After Bray was called out for his radicalism — with receipts provided — the leftist professor presented to the liberal media as a victim, suggesting he intended to flee to Europe but proved unable.

“I’ve never been part of an antifa group, and I’m not currently,” Bray told the New York Times. “There’s an effort underway to paint me as someone who is doing the things that I’ve researched, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.”

Radicals circle the wagons

Leftist students and faculty members at Rutgers rushed to Bray’s defense.

The Rutgers chapters of the American Association of University Professors and the American Federation of Teachers joined the Rutgers Adjunct Faculty Union in condemning the attempt by the TPUSA’s student chapter to get Bray canned over his apparent support for Antifa terrorists. The unions further smeared the student chapter, suggesting it was responsible for the threats Bray has supposedly received.

“The threats against … Bray are a predictable consequence of Turning Point’s campaign to distort Dr. Bray’s views,” said the unions’ joint statement. “Silence in the face of these assaults will only embolden the far right.”

A Change.org petition that had over 3,500 signatures at the time of writing appeared on Sunday in the wake of Bray’s recent claims of victimhood, demanding that the university disband the Rutgers chapter of TPUSA.

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AMY OSBORNE/AFP via Getty Images

“The Rutgers chapter of Turning Point USA (TPUSA) has been continuously promoting hate speech and inciting violence against our community,” said the petition, reportedly created by a former student from the Rochester Institute of Technology. “This disturbing behavior has created a toxic environment that has already led to tragic consequences.”

‘Any opinion that challenges their worldview is immediately branded as “hate speech.”‘

“We urge Rutgers University to immediately disband the Turning Point USA chapter from its campus,” continued the petition. “By doing so, we will not only be upholding our commitment to educational excellence but also ensuring a safe and inclusive environment for every individual within our community.”

“The petition to disband our Turning Point chapter is blatantly defamatory,” Ava Kwan, outreach coordinator for the Turning Point USA chapter at Rutgers, said in a statement.

“The accusations of ‘inciting violence’ and ‘making threats’ are complete lies,” continued Kwan. “The same people claiming we’re suppressing their free speech are actively trying to silence us for speaking the truth. It’s not just ironic, it’s hypocritical and absurd. Any opinion that challenges their worldview is immediately branded as ‘hate speech,’ a meaningless term weaponized to control dissent and protect their false narrative.”

Blaze News has reached out to TPUSA for comment.

When asked whether Rutgers is considering disbanding the TPUSA student chapter, the university said in a statement to Blaze News, “The university does not comment on specific personnel or student conduct matters.”

The university noted further that it 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.”

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