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The lead singer Bobby Vylan has stated he is "without regret" about his "anti-IDF chant" performance at Glastonbury and declared he would "repeat it tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

Controversial Chant and Official Responses

The vocal punk duo ignited widespread controversy when they led crowd calls of "down with the IDF," referring to the Israel Defense Forces, during their June performance. The chant was condemned by festival organizers and Britain's leader the prime minister, who labeled it as "appalling hate speech."

Following the incident, Bob Vylan was released by its agency UTA, and the American government cancelled the artists' visas, compelling them to cancel a scheduled North American concert series.

Conversation with the Podcaster

In his first interview since the Glastonbury show, Vylan, whose real name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, conversed on The Louis Theroux Podcast. When asked if he would do it all again, he responded:

"Oh yeah. For instance what if I was to go on Glastonbury again tomorrow, definitely 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 band encountered was "minimal compared to what people in Palestine are going through."

On the Chant's Significance

"I aim not to exaggerate the significance of the slogan," he elaborated. "It isn't what I'm attempting to do, but if I have the Palestinian people's backing, these are the people that I'm advocating for, these are the people that I'm speaking up for, then what is there to regret? Well, because I've upset some rightwing official or some rightwing media?"

Surprising Response and Broadcaster Feedback

This musician claimed he was taken aback by the outcry triggered by the chant, and asserted that staff of BBC employees at the event told him on the day that the set was "excellent."

However, the broadcaster's ECU later determined that the network's broadcast of the performance breached content guidelines in regard to offense and hurt.

Vylan told the host there was no sign of a controversy in the immediate aftermath: "It wasn't like we left stage, and everyone was like [gasps]. It felt normal. We come off stage. It's normal. Nobody thought anything. Nobody. Even crew at the broadcaster were like 'It was fantastic! We loved that!'"

Response to Damon Albarn

Vylan also hit back at the Blur singer, who called the chant "a major misstep I've seen in my life" and characterized Vylan as "marching in tennis gear."

Albarn's comment was "disappointing" and "lacked self-awareness," he remarked.

"I need to say that categorising it as a 'huge mistake' implies that somehow the views of the duo or our position on Palestinian liberation is unplanned," he explained.

"I take great issue with the phrase 'goose-stepping' being used because it's only used around the Nazis," he added. "That's it. And for him to use that language, I think is offensive. I think his answer was disgusting."

Meaning Behind the Slogan

When questioned what he intended by the chant "Death to the IDF," the artist said the slogan itself was "unimportant."

"What is important is the conditions that exist to permit that protest to even occur on that stage. And I mean, the conditions that exist in the region. In which the Palestinian people are being slain at an alarming rate. What matters about the slogan?" he said.

"The phrase rhymes," he noted: "Stop 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 songwriter. 'Death, Death to IDF' rhymes. Perfect chant."

Denial of Hate Speech Claims

The musician also rejected claims from the CST, a watchdog and Jewish safety group, that their performance led to a rise in antisemitic events recorded later.

"I don't think I have caused an hostile atmosphere for the Jewish community. Suppose there were many individuals of individuals going out and saying 'We made me do this'. I could go, oof, I've had a negative effect here," he said.

Comparison with Different Bands

As Vylan mentioned he thought the duo had been criticised more heavily than others for speaking about the conflict, Theroux referenced the Irish band Kneecap, who have likewise encountered criticism for their approach to pro-Palestinian advocacy.

"That's a notable point," he said, "since as with everything race becomes a part in that we are an more convenient target, no pun intended, than they are because we are inherently the enemy."