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Punk duo frontman Bobby Vylan has expressed he is "without regret" about his "anti-IDF chant" act at Glastonbury and declared he would "repeat it tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

Disputed Exclamation and Official Responses

This vocal punk pair sparked widespread debate when they led audience calls of "death, death to the IDF," pointing to the Israel Defense Forces, during their June set. The slogan was censured by festival organizers and Britain's leader the prime minister, who labeled it as "appalling hate speech."

After the event, the band was dropped by its agency United Talent Agency, and the American government cancelled the artists' travel documents, compelling them to call off a planned US and Canada tour.

Conversation with the Podcaster

During his first public discussion since the Glastonbury performance, the musician, whose real name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, conversed on The Louis Theroux Podcast. After asked if he would repeat his actions, he responded:

"Oh yeah. Like suppose I was to perform at Glastonbury again tomorrow, definitely I would repeat it. I'm without regret of it. I'd do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

The artist added that the backlash the band encountered was "small compared to what individuals in Gaza are going through."

On the Protest's Significance

"I don't want to overstate the importance of the chant," he continued. "That's not what I'm attempting to do, but since I have the Palestinian people's support, they're the people that I'm advocating for, these are the people that I'm speaking up for, then what is there to feel sorry about? Well, because I've angered some rightwing official or some conservative news outlet?"

Unexpected Reaction and BBC Comments

This musician claimed he was taken aback by the uproar sparked by the exclamation, and asserted that staff of the broadcaster employees at the event told him on the day that the set was "excellent."

Yet, the corporation's ECU later determined that the network's airing of the show violated editorial standards in regard to offense and hurt.

He informed the host there was no sign of a dispute in the moment: "It wasn't like we came off stage, and everyone was like [shocked]. It felt normal. We come off stage. It was normal. No one suspected anything. Not a soul. Even staff at the broadcaster were like 'It was fantastic! We loved that!'"

Response to Damon Albarn

Vylan also hit back at the Blur singer, who labeled the protest "one of the most spectacular misfires I've witnessed in my life" and described Vylan as "goose-stepping in sport gear."

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

"I just want to say that labeling it as a 'huge mistake' implies that somehow the views of the duo or our stance on Palestine's freedom is not thought out," he explained.

"I take great issue with the phrase 'goose-stepping' being used because it's only used around Nazi Germany," he continued. "Precisely. And for him to use that wording, I think is offensive. I think his answer was disgusting."

Intent Behind the Chant

After questioned what he meant by the phrase "Down with the IDF," Vylan said the chant itself was "insignificant."

"What is important is the conditions that persist to allow that chant to even take place on that stage. And I mean, the circumstances that exist in Palestine. In which the Palestinian people are being slain at an disturbing rate. What matters about the slogan?" he stated.

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

Rejection of Hate Speech Allegations

Vylan also denied claims from the CST, a monitoring and Jewish safety organisation, that their performance contributed to a spike in antisemitic events recorded later.

"I believe I have caused an hostile environment for the Jewish community. If there were large numbers of people acting and going like 'We made me do this'. I might go, oof, I've had a negative effect here," he said.

Comparison with Different Artists

As he mentioned he thought the band had been targeted more heavily than different artists for voicing views about the conflict, the host referenced the Irish group Kneecap, who have likewise encountered criticism for their approach to pro-Palestinian advocacy.

"That's an interesting one," he said, "because as with everything ethnicity becomes a part in that we are an more convenient target, seriously, than others are because we are inherently the enemy."