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Punk duo lead singer Bobby Vylan has stated he is "not regretful" about his "anti-IDF chant" performance at Glastonbury and declared he would "repeat it tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

Disputed Chant and Political Reactions

The vocal punk duo ignited widespread debate when they led audience chants of "down with the IDF," pointing to the Israel Defense Forces, during their June set. The chant was censured by Glastonbury and UK Prime Minister the prime minister, who described it as "shocking hate speech."

After the event, the band was dropped by its agency United Talent Agency, and the US government cancelled the artists' travel documents, forcing them to cancel a planned North American concert series.

Conversation with the Podcaster

In his first interview after the Glastonbury performance, the musician, whose birth name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, spoke on a popular podcast. When questioned if he would do it all again, he replied:

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

The artist noted that the criticism the band encountered was "minimal compared to what people in Palestine are experiencing."

On the Protest's Importance

"I don't want to exaggerate the importance of the chant," he elaborated. "That's not what I'm trying to do, but since I have their backing, they're the individuals that I'm doing it for, they're the individuals that I'm being vocal for, then what is there to regret? Oh, because I've angered some conservative politician or some rightwing media?"

Unexpected Reaction and BBC Feedback

This musician claimed he was surprised by the uproar triggered by the chant, and stated that staff of BBC employees at Glastonbury told him on the same day that the set was "excellent."

However, the corporation's executive complaints unit subsequently found that the BBC's broadcast of the show violated content guidelines in regard to offense and offence.

He told the host there was no indication of a controversy in the moment: "It didn't feel like we left stage, and everyone was like [gasps]. It felt normal. We leave stage. It was normal. Nobody suspected anything. Not a soul. Including staff at the broadcaster were like 'That was fantastic! We loved that!'"

Reply to Blur Frontman

The musician also hit back at Damon Albarn, who called the protest "a major misstep I've seen in my life" and described Vylan as "marching in tennis gear."

His comment was "disappointing" and "showed no self-awareness," Vylan remarked.

"I need to say that categorising it as a 'huge mistake' implies that somehow the politics of the band or our stance on Palestine's freedom is unplanned," he stated.

"I strongly object with the phrase 'marching' being used because it's typically associated around Nazi Germany," he continued. "Precisely. And for him to use that wording, I think is offensive. I think his answer was appalling."

Meaning Behind the Chant

When asked what he intended by the phrase "Death to the IDF," Vylan said the slogan itself was "insignificant."

"What is important is the situation that persist to allow that chant to even occur on that stage. And I mean, the conditions that are present in the region. In which the Palestinian people are being killed at an disturbing rate. Who cares about the chant?" he said.

"The phrase rhymes," he added: "Stop the IDF' does not rhyme, wouldn't have caught on, right? … We are there to entertain. We are there to sing songs. I am a lyricist. 'Death, Death to IDF' rhymes. Ideal slogan."

Rejection of Antisemitism Claims

Vylan also denied assertions from the Community Security Trust, a monitoring and Jewish safety group, that their performance led to a spike in anti-Jewish events reported two days.

"I believe I have created an unsafe atmosphere for the Jewish people. If there were many individuals of people acting and going like 'Bob Vylan made me do this'. I could go, oof, I've had a bad effect here," he said.

Comparison with Different Artists

As he said he thought the duo had been targeted more severely than others for speaking about the situation, Theroux referenced the Ireland-based group another band, who have also faced backlash for their approach to pro-Palestinian messaging.

"That's an interesting one," Vylan responded, "since as with all things ethnicity becomes a part in that we are an easier villain, seriously, than others are because we are inherently the opponent."