PoliticsAugust 22, 2026
commissars
kuh-MAHRZ
Definition
Government or party officials, particularly in a communist or authoritarian context, tasked with maintaining ideological control and purging dissenting views within an organization.
Etymology
Derived from the Russian 'komissar', originally from the Medieval Latin 'commissarius'. It historically referred to political officers in the Soviet Union responsible for ensuring political loyalty in the military and other institutions.
In the news
The article uses the term to describe how the subject, Nathan Cofnas, perceives academics who defend diversity and equality initiatives, framing them as ideological enforcers who must be removed.
EXCLUSIVE: "shoddy" Cofnas was unfit for his Uni job say colleagues - months before Arday attack
Read the full article ↗The Canary