Mumford & Sons member Winston Marshall faces backlash after praising controversial conservative writer's book

Winston Marshall, the banjoist and guitarist for the rock band Mumford & Sons, is fielding intense criticism after congratulating controversial conservative journalist Andy Ngo on his new book about the far-left anti-fascism movement known as antifa.

On Saturday, Marshall took to Twitter to share a photo of Ngo's book, Unmasked: Inside Antifa's Radical Plan to Destroy Democracy. The book's cover features an endorsement from Fox News host Tucker Carlson.

Ngo, a vocal antifa critic who has been described as a right-wing agitator and provocateur, rose to fame in 2019 after being attacked at a Proud Boys rally; Ngo claimed a milkshake thrown at him by Antifa activists was filled with concrete.

"Congratulations @MrAndyNgo," Marshall said in his tweet, which he deleted Sunday afternoon. “Finally had the time to read your important book. You’re a brave man.”

In response to Marshall's tweet, both he and his bandmates has received backlash, including from fellow English musicians Sleaford Mods, who tweeted, "That fact this t** from Mumford is openly showing his support for continued oppression/fascism/the interests of greed, is almost normal now. He inhabits the same landscape most large bands do. Will exist in environments that offer a service to free-minded people. It’s f*****."

While Marshall, didn't elaborate on whether his political views are in line with Ngo's, this isn't the first time the band has been called out. Back in 2018, Marshall and his bandmates received criticism when they posed for a photo in a music studio alongside Canadian professor and YouTube personality Jordan Peterson, NME previously reported. Peterson is known for rallying against causes ranging from “social justice warriors" and women's rights to people choosing their own pronouns.

“I don’t recognize another person’s right to determine what pronouns I use to address them,” he told Toronto Life in 2017. “I think they’re connected to an underground apparatus of radical left political motivations."

None of the other members of Mumford & Sons have weighed in on Marshall's statements. Marshall and his wife, Glee actress Dianna Agron, split in 2019. Marshall's bandmate, Marcus Mumford, is married to Promising Young Woman star Carey Mulligan.

This article has been updated to reflect that Marshall has deleted his tweet.

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