I thought we had heard the last of Winston Marshall, the now-former banjo player of Mumford & Sons, back in March when he was canceled for daring to tweet that he's reading a book against violent Leftist activism. He's not letting it end on that note, though.
On Thursday, Marshall announced he's leaving the band to engage in politics and activism more freely.
"For me to speak about what I've learned is such a controversial issue will inevitably bring my bandmates more trouble," Marshall said. "My love, loyalty and accountability to them cannot permit that. I could remain—and continue to self-censor. But it will erode my sense of integrity. Gnaw my conscience. I've already felt that beginning."
"The only way forward for me is to leave the band. I hope in distancing myself from them I am able to speak my mind without them suffering the consequences. I leave with love in my heart and I wish those three boys nothing but the best."
The rest of the band said on Instagram they wish Marshall "all the best for the future" and love him.
Marshall said, "it's been no easy decision." So, how did Marshall arrive at this conclusion, and does this mean "Cancel Culture" won again in destroying another person's career?
Let's investigate.
"At the beginning of March I tweeted to American journalist Andy Ngo, author of the New York Times Bestseller, 'Unmasked,' 'Congratulations @MrAndyNgo. Finally had the time to read your important book. You're a brave man,'" Marshall said.
"Posting about books had been a theme of my social-media throughout the pandemic. I believed this tweet to be as innocuous as the others. How wrong I turned out to be."
"Over the course of 24 hours, it was trending with tens of thousands of angry retweets and comments. I failed to foresee that my commenting on a book critical of the Far-Left could be interpreted as approval of the equally abhorrent Far-Right."
This awakening of the Woke Monster eventually led to the announcement of Marshall's indefinite leave of absence from the band.
"Despite being four individuals, we were, in the eyes of the public, a unity. Furthermore, it's our singer's name on the tin. That name was being dragged through some pretty ugly accusations, as a result of my tweet. The distress brought to them and their families that weekend I regret very much. I remain sincerely sorry for that. Unintentionally, I had pulled them into a divisive and totemic issue."
"Emotions were high. Despite pressure to nix me, they invited me to continue with the band. That took courage, particularly in the age of so called "cancel culture." I made an apology and agreed to take a temporary step back."
Marshall sounds like he was more "sorry" about the other people "being dragged" through this than for contradicting Wokeism. That's different than, for example, what recently happened with actress Ellie Kemper apologizing for winning a beauty contest (because of racism) or John Cena kowtow-ing to China for calling Taiwan a country.
It is worth noting that Marshall did say he was sorry for the "pain caused by the book" and that he "offended not only a lot of people [he doesn't] know but also those closest to [him]." At the time, at least some parts of that apology did seem like Marshall conceded to the Twitter Mob.
He has since deleted that apology tweet. What happened? Did he change his mind?
"Why did I apologize?" Marshall said. "In the mania of the moment, I was desperate to protect my bandmates. The hornets' nest that I had unwittingly hit had unleashed a black-hearted swarm on them and their families. I didn't want them to suffer for my actions; they were my priority."
"Secondly, I was sincerely open to the fact that maybe I did not know something about the author or his work."
"I have spent much time reflecting, reading and listening. The truth is that my commenting on a book that documents the extreme Far-Left and their activities is in no way an endorsement of the equally repugnant Far-Right. The truth is that reporting on extremism at the great risk of endangering oneself is unquestionably brave."
"I also feel that my previous apology in a small way participates in the lie that such extremism does not exist, or worse, is a force for good."
Yes, Marshall did apologize at first, but BOY, does that last part sound like a complete turnaround. He literally said his previous apology "in some small way participates in the lie that extremism does not exist, or worse, is a force for good." That's an even more explicit endorsement of what he originally said about Ngo's book against Antifa!
So what does Marshall plan on doing with all this free time (and free speech)?
"I will continue my work with Hong Kong Link Up and I look forward to new creative projects as well as speaking and writing on a variety of issues, challenging as they may be."
HK Link Up is Marshall's "non-profit organization which aims to link up British residents with Hong Kongers arriving in the UK. John Cena is seething somewhere, probably.
