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The frontman of Bob Vylan has stated he is "not regretful" about his "death, death to the IDF" act at Glastonbury and declared he would "do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

Disputed Chant and Official Reactions

This vocal music pair sparked widespread debate when they led crowd calls of "down with the IDF," pointing to the IDF, during their summer set. The chant was condemned by festival organizers and Britain's leader the prime minister, who labeled it as "shocking hate speech."

After the incident, Bob Vylan was dropped by its representation United Talent Agency, and the American state department revoked the members' visas, compelling the duo to call off a planned North American tour.

Conversation with the Podcaster

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

"Oh yeah. Like what if I was to perform at Glastonbury again tomorrow, yes I would do it again. I'm without regret of it. I'd say it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

The artist added that the backlash the band faced was "minimal compared to what people in Palestine are experiencing."

On the Protest's Significance

"I aim not to overstate the significance of the chant," he continued. "That's not what I'm trying to do, but since I have the Palestinian people's backing, these are the people that I'm doing it for, they're the people that I'm speaking up for, then what is there to regret? Well, because I've angered some rightwing politician or some rightwing media?"

Unexpected Response and BBC Comments

The musician claimed he was taken aback by the outcry sparked by the exclamation, and stated that members of the broadcaster staff at Glastonbury told him on the same day that the performance was "fantastic."

However, the broadcaster's ECU subsequently determined that the BBC's broadcast of the performance violated content guidelines in regard to harm and offence.

He told Theroux there was no sign of a controversy in the moment: "It wasn't like we left stage, and everyone was like [gasps]. It's just normal. We leave stage. It was normal. No one thought anything. Not a soul. Including staff at the BBC were like 'It was fantastic! We loved that!'"

Reply to Blur Frontman

The musician also hit back at the Blur singer, who called the chant "a major misstep I've witnessed in my life" and described Vylan as "goose-stepping in sport gear."

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

"I need to say that labeling it as a 'spectacular misfire' implies that in some way the politics of the duo or our position on Palestine's freedom is not thought out," he stated.

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

Meaning Behind the Slogan

After asked what he intended by the chant "Down with the IDF," Vylan clarified the slogan itself was "insignificant."

"The key issue is the situation that exist to permit that chant to even take place on that platform. And I mean, the circumstances that exist in the region. In which the local population are being killed at an alarming rate. Who cares about the chant?" he stated.

"The phrase rhymes," he added: "'End, End the IDF does not rhyme, wouldn't have caught on, right? … We are there to entertain. We are there to play music. I am a songwriter. 'Death, Death to IDF' rhymes. Perfect slogan."

Denial of Antisemitism Allegations

Vylan also denied assertions from the Community Security Trust, a watchdog and Jewish safety organisation, that their set contributed to a rise in antisemitic incidents recorded two days.

"I believe I have created an unsafe atmosphere for the Jewish people. Suppose there were many individuals of individuals acting and going like 'We made me do this'. I might go, oof, I've had a negative effect here," he commented.

Comparison with Other Bands

When Vylan said he felt the duo had been criticised more heavily than different artists for voicing views about the situation, the host brought up the Ireland-based group Kneecap, who have likewise faced backlash for their approach to pro-Palestine advocacy.

"That's an interesting one," Vylan responded, "because as with everything ethnicity becomes a part in that we are an more convenient target, seriously, than they are because we are inherently the opponent."