Acton Line

In March 2021, Winston Marshall was the banjo player and guitarist for Mumford & Sons, the highly popular and award-winning folk rock ensemble.  That same month, Marshall shared a seemingly innocuous tweet offering praise for guerrilla journalist Andy Ngo, and his book “Unmasked: Inside Antifa's Radical Plan to Destroy Democracy.”  “Congratulations Andy Ngo. Finally had time to read your important book. You’re a brave man.” As is the common story with Twitter, a firestorm ensued, with Marshall facing a swarm of criticism for the tweet, prompting Marshall, under pressure, to issue an apology. But Marshall later reconsidered the propriety of that apology, penning an essay on Medium defending his praise for Ngo and his book, and announcing he was leaving his band. Since then Marshall has launched a podcast, Marshall Matters, and written for outlets such as Bari Weiss’s Common Sense, a precursor to her current The Free Press publication, on issues relating to freedom of speech and expression in the arts and beyon