
Even as prominent media voices insist that “Antifa doesn’t exist,” the movement’s leading figures are quietly leaving the country. President Donald Trump’s designation of Antifa as a domestic terrorist organization has triggered an exodus among its organizers and donors, exposing the gap between political rhetoric and reality.
Mark Bray, long regarded as the intellectual and financial backbone of the movement, announced plans to relocate to Spain amid what he described as “rising threats” and “media persecution.” Writing on the left-leaning platform Bluesky, Bray declared: “Only mass antifascism, legal or not, can save us.”
Bray, an assistant professor at Rutgers University, intends to continue teaching remotely on subjects such as terrorism and antifascism, despite a petition from students demanding his removal, wrote The Washington Examiner. Critics have dubbed him “Dr. Antifa” for publicly defending the use of violence in the name of “anti-fascism.” His book, Antifa: The Anti-Fascist Handbook, has become a field manual for radical activists, with half of its profits directed to Antifa International—an organization that bankrolls chapters including Atlanta Antifascists and Central Oregon Anti-Fascist Action.
Antifa International has suspended donations “as a precaution” following Trump’s directive, citing fears that U.S.-based fundraising platforms could expose donors to prosecution. The administration’s new policy empowers federal prosecutors to treat financial or logistical support for Antifa as “material aid to a designated terror entity.” Those convicted could face up to 20 years in prison, with additional penalties under anti-terror finance laws.
Bray is not alone in fleeing scrutiny. Swedish journalist Christian Peterson recently located Caroline and Johan Victorin—the cofounders of Portland’s Rose City Antifa—living along the coast of Varberg, Sweden. The couple, who helped establish the first Antifa chapter in the U.S., declined to answer questions about possible conspiracy charges, according to The Washington Examiner.
Violent Portland terrorist group Rose City Antifa was founded by Johan Victorin and Caroline Victorin (née Gauld). The two fled to Europe, and a Swedish independent journalist @christianpet_ has finally found them! They’ve been hiding in Varberg, Sweden! pic.twitter.com/RELXovEvoF
— Andy Ngo (@MrAndyNgo) October 6, 2025
Rose City Antifa, once among the most aggressive domestic groups, has reportedly gone underground amid federal investigations. According to analyst Andy Ngo, “Rose City Antifa has significantly reduced its public operations out of fear of conspiracy indictments.”
The group has been linked to assaults, property damage, and the doxxing of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem vowed to prosecute those responsible: “We will prosecute those who dox ICE agents to the fullest extent of the law. These criminals are taking the side of vicious cartels and human traffickers. We won’t allow it in America.”
The Torch Anti-Fascist Network—an umbrella group that includes Rose City Antifa—dismissed the allegations as “a false conspiracy theory about our member crew.” Rose City Antifa added that while it “applauds any efforts to unmask ICE’s secret police,” it “can’t take credit for these flyers.”
Despite these denials, the group maintained its ideological commitment to confrontation. “We support doxxing and any other actions that undermine ICE’s blatant human rights abuses,” it said, adding that its focus remains “countering nearby fascist threats.”
Meanwhile, ignoring that they all have the same flags, tactics, outfits, and slogans, social media efforts, and “umbrella groups,” liberal commentators and entertainers have doubled down on the claim that Antifa is a right-wing invention, going so far out on a limb that some have even called it propaganda. Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel mocked conservatives for “imagining” Antifa’s existence—a talking point that now clashes with visible departures, criminal cases, and government sanctions.
Jimmy Kimmel lies to cover for Antifa:
“There is no Antifa. This is an entirely imaginary organization. There is not an Antifa."
That’s about as Orwellian as it gets. Legacy media continues to function as Antifa’s propaganda apparatus. pic.twitter.com/zhyrFDCaEg
— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) October 10, 2025
ANTIFA: The Democrats have been instructed to pretend they have never heard of Antifa. Here is Keith Ellison claiming he doesn’t know what Antifa is. In 2018 he tweeted a picture of his copy of the Antifa terror handbook. pic.twitter.com/rwBQ04vTmI
— @amuse (@amuse) October 11, 2025
Journalist David Marcus called out the gaslighting.
Left wing political violence cannot be addressed until Democrats acknowledge Antifa is real, and is radicalizing gun-toting madmen. Just stop lying about it. pic.twitter.com/34TcR8zYpR
— David Marcus (@BlueBoxDave) September 26, 2025
As federal authorities dismantle Antifa’s network, the irony deepens: the same activists the left insists are “imaginary” are now boarding planes out of the United States.
[Read More: Liberals Creating Conspiracy Theories To Justify Violence]