Some students might have noticed a set of protests at the beginning of the semester. These protests were not organized by any of the usual groups associated with activism on campus; instead, they were held by a new group, Fight Authoritarianism Brandeis (FAB).
FAB was originally started by Professor Sabine von Mering, Professor of German and Women’s Gender Sexuality Studies, as well as the Director of the Center for German and European Studies. When asked about the creation of the group, Von Mering stated, “I organized with a few others, this walk out here, and I thought, but we don’t want this to be a one-off. We really need to get organized because what’s happening there is gonna happen here eventually.” The original walk out was inspired by the calls from Minnesotans for a national walkout in protest of the ICE actions happening in the Twin Cities.
The group is a collaboration between students, professors, faculty and staff. Hudson Ranney ’29, the co-chair of the Outreach Committee for FAB, stated, “There’s something powerful about that—people across the university deciding together that they’re not going to just sit with the fear.” The group seems to have a heavy focus on including as many people from as many backgrounds and walks of life as possible. Von Mering said, “This is also what’s important about our group, that we really want everyone to feel they are part of this.” FAB is a collection of the work of all who have gotten involved, especially due to the way the organization was founded.
As an activist group which was formed quickly as a response to shifting situations, FAB has had to rely mostly on collaboration to get out there. As Von Mering stated, “We’re also kind of building the ship as we sail it.” However, it has not been difficult to find people who are willing to participate. “I initially made a QR code for that walkout and just handed it around so that people would sign on if they were interested in organizing beyond the first walk out. And 35 people signed the form.” It seems students and professors alike have been inspired by the current political climate to get involved.
Many of the students have drawn on long time fears around the political environment they grew up in. Ranney stated, “I was nine when Trump first got elected, and even though I didn’t fully understand what was happening, I could feel the fear in the adults around me. It stayed with me.” This underlying discomfort was acted on by the events happening in Minnesota and across the country. “Then in April 2025, I was on a campus tour at Brandeis when I got a flood of notifications and saw that a mutual friend—Mohsen Mahdawi, a Columbia student—had just been detained by ICE at what was supposed to be a routine citizenship interview. He did everything right, and it didn’t matter,” said Ranney. FAB seems to be drawing on these fears and uncertainties to pull people together.
There was a lot of emphasis on community during conversations with both Von Mering and Ranney. “It feels good to be in community with people at this moment and not to be alone,” stated Von Mering. Talking about his inspiration to join FAB, Ranney stated, “That collective energy is what drew me in.” This community focus extends beyond Loop Road. “We want to connect with other campus communities so that we can learn from each other,” says Von Mering. Ranney continued this line of thinking when he said, “I hope we can keep showing up consistently for the communities right around us—East Boston, Chelsea, Somerville, Roxbury. These aren’t abstract places. People who work and study at this university live there.” Many Brandeis activist groups have conducted the majority of their actions on campus; as such it seems community is one of the defining words of FAB.
To the organizers of FAB, it is the community which allows groups like this to exist. Von Mering said, “I think that’s always something that I feel marks our people, the students no matter where they come from. They want to make the world a better place; they want to do the right thing by their peers.” The Brandeis community has come together to help the larger area; FAB is working to create one large collective which can promote collaboration between organizations across cities and campuses. Ranney stated, “I want us to make sure nobody has to navigate this moment alone. Whether that’s tracking ICE activity around greater Boston, connecting people with resources, running trainings, or just building a community where people feel less isolated—that matters.”
FAB remains an unofficial group on campus. Currently, they have no desire to become an official Brandeis club or work closely with the administration. On that subject, Von Mering stated, “I trust the people in our community to do the right thing, and usually leaders follow, right? I think it’s probably best for the university to let us do our thing and not get involved … It is a good division of labor. They do their thing and we do ours.”
The future for FAB isn’t set in stone. When asked what the organization plans to do as ICE operations move away from Minnesota, Von Mering stated, “what happens next will depend on the demands on us from the communities that are targeted or from the students themselves.” What does seem assured is that Brandeis students, faculty, and staff are determined to make change. Both Von Mering and Ranney had similar things to say about their personal dedication to activism in this moment. Ranney stated, “It’s the idea of having been here, old enough to do something, and choosing not to. I don’t want to carry that,” and Von Mering said, “But what I don’t want is for us to say, ‘I wish we had.’”
