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The frontman of Bob Vylan has expressed he is "without regret" about his "death, death to the IDF" performance at Glastonbury and asserted he would "repeat it tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

Controversial Chant and Official Responses

This outspoken punk duo ignited significant controversy when they initiated crowd calls of "death, death to the IDF," pointing to the Israel Defense Forces, during their June set. The slogan was condemned by festival organizers and Britain's leader the prime minister, who described it as "shocking hate speech."

Following the event, the band was dropped by its representation UTA, and the American government cancelled the artists' visas, forcing them to cancel a scheduled US and Canada tour.

Conversation with the Podcaster

During his initial public discussion after the festival show, the musician, whose real name is Pascal Foster, conversed on The Louis Theroux Podcast. When asked if he would repeat his actions, he responded:

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

He noted that the criticism the duo encountered was "minimal compared to what individuals in Palestine are experiencing."

Regarding the Chant's Importance

"I aim not to exaggerate the importance of the slogan," he continued. "That's not what I'm trying to do, but since I have the Palestinian people's support, they're the individuals that I'm doing it for, these are the individuals that I'm speaking up for, then what is there to feel sorry about? Oh, because I've upset some rightwing politician or some conservative news outlet?"

Surprising Response and BBC Comments

The artist claimed he was taken aback by the uproar triggered by the chant, and stated that staff of the broadcaster employees at Glastonbury told him on the same day that the performance was "excellent."

Yet, the corporation's executive complaints unit subsequently found that the network's broadcast of the show violated content standards in relation to offense and hurt.

Vylan told Theroux there was no sign of a controversy in the immediate aftermath: "It wasn't like we came off stage, and everyone was like [shocked]. It's just normal. We leave stage. It's normal. Nobody suspected anything. Not a soul. Even crew at the broadcaster were like 'That was fantastic! We enjoyed that!'"

Response to Blur Frontman

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 described Vylan as "goose-stepping in sport gear."

His comment was "letdown" and "lacked self-awareness," Vylan said.

"I just want to say that categorising it as a 'huge mistake' implies that somehow the views of the band or our position on Palestine's freedom is not thought out," he stated.

"I take great issue with the term 'goose-stepping' being used because it's typically associated around the Nazis," he continued. "Precisely. And for him to use that language, I think is offensive. I think his response was disgusting."

Meaning Behind the Chant

After questioned what he intended by the chant "Down with the IDF," the artist clarified the slogan itself was "unimportant."

"What is important is the situation that exist to permit that chant to even occur on that platform. And I mean, the conditions that exist in Palestine. In which the Palestinian population are being killed at an alarming rate. What matters about the chant?" he stated.

"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 sing songs. I am a lyricist. 'Death, Death to IDF' rhymes. Ideal chant."

Denial of Hate Speech Allegations

The musician also rejected claims from the Community Security Trust, a monitoring and Jewish community safety organisation, that their set led to a rise in antisemitic incidents reported two days.

"I don't think I have caused an hostile atmosphere for the Jewish community. If there were many individuals of individuals going out and saying 'Bob Vylan made me do this'. I might go, oh, I've had a negative impact here," he commented.

Comparison with Other Artists

When Vylan said he thought the band had been targeted more severely than different artists for speaking about the situation, the host brought up the Irish band Kneecap, who have also faced backlash for their approach to pro-Palestine advocacy.

"That's a notable point," Vylan responded, "because as with all things ethnicity comes to play a part in that we are an more convenient target, no pun intended, than others are because we are inherently the opponent."