How A 15-Word Anti-Antifa Tweet Broke Up Mumford & Sons

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OKEECHOBEE, FLORIDA - MARCH 08: Winston Marshall of Mumford & Sons performs during the Okeechobee Music Festival at Sunshine Grove on March 08, 2020 in Okeechobee, Florida. (Photo by Tim Mosenfelder/WireImage)

From Aunt Jemima syrup to Dr. Seuss, it’s always a surprise on what or who the ‘cancel culture’ will attack next. Apparently, it’s Mumford & Sons banjoist Winston Marshall this time. He recently announced that he will be stepping away from the band after simply complimenting an anti-Antifa book by conservative author and journalist Any Ngo.

It started with a simple tweet, which is now-deleted, by Marshall congratulating Ngo on his new book “Unmasked: Inside Antifa’s Radical Plan to Destroy Democracy.” He said it was time to read this important book and praised Ngo for being a “brave man.” The tweet received a wave of criticism and hateful messages from the radical left who said Ngo a “well-documented liar and propagandist,” as well as calling Marshall and Ngo “fascists” and a “Nazi.”

The cancel culture even posted comments on Mumford & Sons’ official Twitter account that the banjo was invented by “enslaved Africans in the Caribbean” and then “made popular to white people through their racial minstrel shows.” They accused Marshall of being a part of that history and threatened to boycott Mumford & Sons music unless they fired him.

Others called out the radical left for trying to justify the organizational efforts and patterns of violence, which were most notably in Portland and Seattle. Ngo had been brutally attacked and hospitalized in 2019 by members of Antifa, resulting in a brain. He eventually revealed a few months ago that he had fled the United States due to the constant death threats from Antifa.” It’s unbelievable how much fear the radical left has instilled in people everywhere.

“Congratulations to @MrWinMarshall for showing us, once again, that the people who claim to be ‘tolerant,’ ‘kind’ and ‘open-minded’ are the most illiberal, hateful, and intolerant around. I’ll be going to as many of his concerts as possible,” tweeted comedian Konstantin Kisin.

Marshall, however, announced that he would step away from the band after the backlash of complimenting Ngo’s book and issued a formal apology. “For now, please know that I realize how my endorsements have the potential to be viewed as approvals of hatred, divisive behavior. I apologize, as this was not at all my intention,” he wrote.

Ngo spoke on Fox News regarding the incident and said Marshall should not have faced “very severe consequences” over liking his book. He pointed out that stores nationwide have announced they will not be selling his book due to “leftist uproar.”

“I know this is being covered a lot as the latest example of cancel culture, but I don’t think that term fully encapsulates what’s going on. We’re dealing with a phenomenon of people who have powerful ties, who are working to systematically close minds and to silence voices. And they’re doing this entirely without throwing a punch, without any legislative change,” Ngo said.

The message is clear – if you challenge the radical left, they’ll make you suffer and take away your job, livelihood, and everything you’ve worked so hard for. A 15-word tweet took away Marshall’s. It’s a dangerous environment and more people, like Ngo, need to keep fighting the good fight against the radical left and cancel culture mobs.