One professor is not the same as a university. He's talking about universities rolling over, because they are (or were, it's kind of too late now) the ones in this situation that have the power to take a meaningful stance.

But how is fleeing the country not “giving up before you fight”?

Trying to seriously answer... he's a researcher that studies fascism, so his most effective means of fighting is to continue his work. He's a more valuable fighter as a researcher than he is as a guy on picket lines. If he continues his research, it's a net gain for everyone - specially if he continues advocating, like he is already doing by talking about this with media.

He praised other faculty at Yale for standing up against the attacks on their profession and said he wished he could stay and fight with them.

“I don’t see it as fleeing at all,” he said. “I see it as joining Canada, which is a target of Trump, just like Yale is a target of Trump.”

Stanley’s profile has also risen since then after the publication of several books on propaganda and fascism. The Munk school is building a program with the view that there’s an “international struggle against democracy” and provides a “very exciting intellectual opportunity”, he said.

“I don’t see it as fleeing at all,” he said. “I see it as joining Canada, which is a target of Trump, just like Yale is a target of Trump.”

Elbows the fuck up.

It's better than simply obeying & complying. It shows that there are punishing consequences - we lose our top educators etc

I assume he’s going to continue his work, just from outside the US. Giving up would mean stopping his work.