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Punk duo frontman Bobby Vylan has expressed he is "not regretful" about his "anti-IDF chant" act at the festival and asserted he would "repeat it tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

Disputed Exclamation and Official Responses

This outspoken punk pair sparked widespread debate when they initiated audience calls of "death, death to the IDF," referring to the Israel Defense Forces, during their summer set. This slogan was censured by Glastonbury and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who labeled it as "shocking hate speech."

After the event, Bob Vylan was released by its agency United Talent Agency, and the US state department cancelled the artists' travel documents, forcing the duo to cancel a scheduled North American tour.

Conversation with the Podcaster

During his first interview since the festival show, Vylan, using his birth name is Pascal Foster, conversed on The Louis Theroux Podcast. When asked if he would repeat his actions, he responded:

"Absolutely. For instance what if I was to go on the festival again tomorrow, yes I would do it again. I'm without regret of it. I'd do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

He added that the criticism the duo encountered was "small compared to what people in Palestine are experiencing."

Regarding the Protest's Importance

"I don't want to overstate the importance of the slogan," he continued. "That's not what I'm trying to do, but if I have their backing, these are the people that I'm advocating for, they're the individuals that I'm being vocal for, then what is there to feel sorry about? Well, because I've angered some rightwing politician or some rightwing media?"

Surprising Reaction and BBC Feedback

This musician claimed he was surprised by the uproar sparked by the chant, and asserted that members of the broadcaster staff at Glastonbury told him on the same day that the set was "excellent."

However, the corporation's executive complaints unit subsequently found that the network's airing of the show breached content standards in regard to offense and hurt.

He informed Theroux there was no indication of a dispute in the immediate aftermath: "It didn't feel like we came off stage, and everybody was like [gasps]. It's just normal. We come off stage. It's normal. Nobody thought anything. Nobody. Even crew at the BBC were like 'That was fantastic! We loved that!'"

Reply to Damon Albarn

Vylan also hit back at the Blur singer, who labeled the protest "one of the most spectacular misfires I've seen in my life" and characterized Vylan as "marching in tennis gear."

Albarn's comment was "letdown" and "showed no self-awareness," he remarked.

"I need to say that labeling it as a 'spectacular misfire' suggests that in some way the politics of the duo or our position on Palestine's freedom is not thought out," he stated.

"I strongly object with the term 'goose-stepping' being used because it's only used around the Nazis," he continued. "Precisely. And for him to use that language, I think is offensive. I think his response was appalling."

Meaning Behind the Slogan

When questioned what he meant by the chant "Death to the IDF," Vylan clarified the chant itself was "unimportant."

"The key issue is the situation that persist to allow that protest to even take place on that platform. And I mean, the conditions that are present in Palestine. Where the local population are being slain at an alarming rate. What matters about the slogan?" he said.

"Death to the IDF rhymes," he noted: "'End, End the IDF does not rhyme, wouldn't have caught on, would it? … We are there to perform. We are there to play music. I am a lyricist. 'The chant' rhymes. Ideal slogan."

Rejection of Antisemitism Allegations

Vylan also rejected assertions from the CST, a monitoring and Jewish safety organisation, that their performance contributed to a rise in antisemitic events reported two days.

"I believe I have caused an unsafe atmosphere for the Jewish people. Suppose there were large numbers of people acting and going like 'Bob Vylan made me do this'. I might go, oh, I've had a bad impact here," he said.

Contrast with Other Artists

When Vylan mentioned he felt the duo had been criticised more heavily than different artists for voicing views about the situation, the host brought up the Ireland-based group another band, who have also encountered backlash for their approach to pro-Palestine messaging.

"That's an interesting one," Vylan said, "since as with all things ethnicity becomes a factor in that we are an easier target, no pun intended, than they are because we are already the enemy."