Banjo player Mumford and Sons Winston Marshall bids farewell to the group amid screams over his recent post on social media praising right-wing agitator Andy Ngo.
In a tweet posted this past weekend, Marshall calls Ngo a ‘brave man’ and congratulates him on the publication of a book on Antifa’s ‘radical plan to destroy democracy’. “Finally had the time to read your important book,” Marshall wrote.
But now Marshall has apologized publicly and announced that he intends to take Mumford and Sons away to investigate my blind spots.
‘Over the past few days, I have come to understand the pain that the book I have endorsed better. “I have insulted not only many people I do not know, but also those closest to me, including my bandmates, and I’m sorry, ‘Marshall wrote in a statement on Twitter. “Because of my actions, I take time away from the group to examine my blind spots.”
“Know for now that I realize how my endorsements have the potential to be viewed as an endorsement of hateful, divisive behavior,” Marshall added. “I apologize because that was not my intention at all.”
Ngo has emerged as a popular voice on the far right due to its reporting on left-wing groups. Critics of Ngo, however, say he often publishes selectively edited and misleading content to portray left-wing activists as violent while disregarding similar behavior on the right. Ngo is also accused of associating with far-right groups such as the Proud Boys. And in a 2019 video, he was caught while with members of the white patriot Prayer outfit while planning an attack on ANTIFA members.
In his recently published book – one praised by Marshall – Ngo belittles the murders of Heather Heyer by white supremacists in Charlottesville. He also refers to the Proud Boys as a ‘pro-Trump fraternity’, describing a “Stop the Steal” march in mid-November in Washington as “peaceful and festive”. On the other hand, NGOs compare left-wing activists as a ‘fraudulent gang’ whose mission is to ‘destroy the nation state, especially America’.
– Winston Marshall (@MrWinMarshall) 10 March 2021