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Punk duo lead singer of Bob Vylan has expressed he is "not regretful" about his "anti-IDF chant" act at Glastonbury and declared he would "do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

Disputed Exclamation and Political Responses

The outspoken punk duo sparked widespread debate when they led crowd chants of "death, death to the IDF," referring to the Israel Defense Forces, during their summer performance. The slogan was condemned by festival organizers and Britain's leader Keir Starmer, who described it as "shocking hate speech."

After the incident, Bob Vylan was dropped by its agency United Talent Agency, and the US state department cancelled the members' visas, forcing them to call off a planned North American tour.

Conversation with Louis Theroux

During his first public discussion since the Glastonbury show, Vylan, whose birth name is Pascal Foster, conversed on a popular podcast. When asked if he would do it all again, he replied:

"Absolutely. Like what if I was to perform at Glastonbury again tomorrow, yes I would do it again. I'm not regretful of it. I'd say it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

He added that the backlash the duo encountered was "minimal compared to what individuals in Gaza are experiencing."

Regarding the Chant's Importance

"I don't want to exaggerate the significance of the slogan," he elaborated. "It isn't what I'm trying to do, but if I have the Palestinian people's backing, they're the people that I'm doing it for, these are the people that I'm being vocal for, then what is there to feel sorry about? Well, because I've angered some conservative official or some rightwing media?"

Surprising Response and BBC Comments

The artist claimed he was taken aback by the uproar sparked by the chant, and stated that members of the broadcaster staff at Glastonbury told him on the day that the set was "fantastic."

Yet, the corporation's ECU subsequently determined that the network's airing of the performance breached editorial guidelines in regard to offense and hurt.

He informed Theroux there was no indication of a dispute in the moment: "It didn't feel like we left stage, and everybody was like [shocked]. It's just normal. We leave stage. It was normal. Nobody thought anything. Nobody. Even staff at the BBC were like 'It was fantastic! We enjoyed 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 him as "marching in tennis gear."

Albarn's reaction was "letdown" and "showed no self-awareness," Vylan said.

"I just want to say that categorising it as a 'huge mistake' suggests that in some way the politics of the band or our stance on Palestinian liberation is unplanned," he stated.

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

Meaning Behind the Slogan

After asked what he meant by the phrase "Down with the IDF," the artist clarified the slogan itself was "insignificant."

"What is important is the conditions that persist to allow that chant to even take place on that platform. And I mean, the conditions that are present in the region. In which the local people are being slain at an disturbing rate. What matters about the chant?" he stated.

"Death to the IDF rhymes," he added: "'End, End the IDF does not rhyme, wouldn't have spread, right? … We are there to perform. We are there to sing songs. I am a songwriter. 'The chant' rhymes. Perfect chant."

Denial of Antisemitism Claims

The musician also rejected assertions from the CST, a monitoring and Jewish safety group, that their set contributed to a spike in anti-Jewish incidents reported later.

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

Contrast with Different Bands

As Vylan mentioned he felt the band had been criticised more severely than different artists for voicing views about the conflict, Theroux referenced the Irish group another band, who have likewise encountered backlash for their approach to pro-Palestinian advocacy.

"That's a notable point," Vylan said, "because as with all things race becomes a factor in that we are an more convenient villain, seriously, than others are because we are inherently the opponent."