Winston Marshall Blasts Music Industry’s Silence on Boulder Antisemitic Attack

Former Mumford & Sons guitarist Winston Marshall didn’t mince words on Monday, slamming the music industry for its deafening silence after a shocking antisemitic attack in Boulder, Colorado. The incident, which saw 45-year-old Egyptian national Mohamed Sabry Soliman allegedly set fire to peaceful pro-Israel rallygoers, left victims aged 52 to 88 reeling. Soliman’s cries of "Free Palestine" during the attack underscored a chilling trend of violence, Marshall said, pointing to the recent murders of two Israeli embassy staffers in Washington, D.C. as part of a broader wave of hate.

Speaking on a morning talk show, Marshall called the Boulder attack "horrific" but "unsurprising," given the rising tide of antisemitic incidents. He expressed frustration not just at the violence but at society’s selective blindness to it. "When crowds chant ‘globalize the Intifada,’ it’s no shock that individuals take it as a call to action," he said, referencing the Boulder suspect’s alleged motives.

Marshall turned his ire on the music industry, where he’s spent decades, for failing to condemn such acts while some artists openly embrace pro-Palestinian gestures. He cited Imagine Dragons’ frontman Dan Reynolds, who recently sparked controversy by waving a Palestinian flag at a Milan concert, draping it over his shoulders, and kissing it before tossing it back to the crowd. The stunt drew millions of views online, with reactions split between praise and outrage.

"I’m disappointed by the music industry’s response—or lack thereof," Marshall said, highlighting a moral disconnect. He noted the 58 hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza, 23 presumed alive, and questioned why protesters don’t target Hamas, a group he argues harms both Palestinians and Israelis. "It’s a twisted frame of mind," he said, calling the surge in antisemitic violence across America "very dark."