Leftists took to Twitter over the weekend to attack Winston Marshall, the banjoist and guitarist of the rock band Mumford & Sons, for praising journalist Andy Ngo and promoting his new book exposing the far-left movement known as Antifa.
“Congratulations @MrAndyNgo. Finally had the time to read your important book. You’re a brave man,” tweeted Marshall on Saturday, alongside an image of Ngo’s new book, Unmasked: Inside Antifa’s Radical Plan to Destroy Democracy.
Ngo’s book was released in 2021, and is about the far-left movement known as Antifa, whose members assaulted the journalist in Portland in 2019. Antifa and its many factions in the U.S. have long been suspected of several acts of violence from arson to attacks on law enforcement and rioting from Portland to New York. A Harvard-Harris poll found 71 percent of the 1,778 registered voters surveyed, in February 2021, agreed that ANTIFA is a “domestic terrorist group.”
In response to Marshall’s tweet, social media users attacked the guitarist for his support of Ngo.
“That fact this twat from Mumford is openly showing his support for continued oppression/fascism/the interests of greed, is almost normal now,” reacted fellow English musicians Sleaford Mods. “He inhabits the same landscape most large bands do. Will exist in environments that offer a service to free minded people. It’s fucked.”
“Imagine if being in Mumford and Sons was only the second most embarrassing thing you’ve done,” added another social media user.
“Mumford, come get your son,” commented another.
In a bizarre move, other social media users took to Twitter to liken supporting the journalist to supporting fascism.
“when did mumford and sons change their band’s name to a flock of sieg heils?” wrote one individual.
“This is so damn disappointing and really reinforces all the bad stereotypes about what it means when you hear ‘the sound of banjos.’ Supporting fascism ain’t a good look,” commented another.
“A dumbfounding endorsement of fascism. Shame, I really liked that one song a while ago,” tweeted a third.
“Mumford and Sons more like racists amirite,” commented another.
The backlash even caused “Mumford” to trend on Twitter. But not all social media users agreed with the woke Internet mob.
“The left is trying to cancel Mumford and Sons because one of their members tweeted in support of a book written by a Trump supporter,” tweeted ACT for America founder Brigitte Gabriel. “Tell me more about how conservatives are the ‘fascists.'”
“Mumford & Sons did nothing wrong,” added conservative commentator Jack Posobiec.
Nevertheless, Marshall ended up deleting his tweet on Sunday afternoon but this wasn’t the first time Mumford & Sons came under attack due to suspicion that its band members may have a different opinion from woke leftists.
In 2018, the band faced backlash after they took a photo with Canadian psychology professor Jordan Peterson, who later posted it to his Instagram, according to a report by NME.
“With Mumford and Sons at their London Studio,” wrote Peterson in his Instagram caption.
You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Facebook and Twitter at @ARmastrangelo, on Parler @alana, and on Instagram.