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The lead singer Bobby Vylan has stated he is "without regret" about his "anti-IDF chant" act at Glastonbury and declared he would "repeat it tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

Disputed Chant and Official Reactions

This vocal punk pair sparked significant controversy when they led crowd calls of "down with the IDF," pointing to the IDF, during their summer set. The chant was condemned by Glastonbury and UK Prime Minister the prime minister, who labeled it as "appalling hate speech."

Following the incident, Bob Vylan was dropped by its representation UTA, and the American state department revoked the members' travel documents, compelling the duo to call off a scheduled US and Canada tour.

Interview with Louis Theroux

During his initial interview after the Glastonbury show, the musician, whose birth name is Pascal Foster, spoke on a popular podcast. After asked if he would repeat his actions, he replied:

"Absolutely. Like suppose I was to perform at the festival again tomorrow, yes I would repeat it. I'm not regretful of it. I'd say it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

He added that the backlash the duo faced was "minimal compared to what people in Palestine are experiencing."

On the Chant's Significance

"I don't want to exaggerate the significance of the slogan," he continued. "That's not what I'm trying to do, but since I have their backing, they're the people that I'm doing it for, they're the people that I'm being vocal for, then what is there to feel sorry about? Well, because I've upset some rightwing politician or some rightwing media?"

Surprising Reaction and BBC Comments

This musician claimed he was surprised by the uproar sparked by the exclamation, and stated that members of BBC staff at Glastonbury told him on the day that the set was "excellent."

Yet, the corporation's executive complaints unit subsequently determined that the BBC's broadcast of the performance violated content standards in relation to offense and hurt.

Vylan told the host there was no indication of a controversy in the immediate aftermath: "It wasn't like we left stage, and everybody was like [shocked]. It felt normal. We come off stage. It was normal. No one suspected anything. Nobody. Including crew at the broadcaster were like 'It was fantastic! We loved that!'"

Response to Damon Albarn

Vylan also responded at Damon Albarn, who labeled the chant "a major misstep I've seen in my life" and described Vylan as "goose-stepping in tennis gear."

His reaction was "letdown" and "lacked self-awareness," Vylan remarked.

"I need to say that categorising it as a 'spectacular misfire' suggests that somehow the politics of the band or our position on Palestine's freedom is unplanned," he stated.

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

Meaning Behind the Chant

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

"The key issue is the conditions that exist to permit that protest to even take place on that stage. And I mean, the conditions that exist in the region. In which the Palestinian people are being killed at an alarming rate. What matters about the chant?" he said.

"The phrase rhymes," he noted: "'End, End the IDF does not rhyme, wouldn't have spread, right? … We are there to entertain. We are there to sing songs. I am a lyricist. 'The chant' rhymes. Ideal chant."

Denial of Antisemitism Claims

Vylan also rejected assertions from the Community Security Trust, a monitoring and Jewish safety group, that their performance contributed to a spike in antisemitic incidents recorded later.

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

Comparison with Other Bands

When he mentioned he thought the band had been targeted more severely than others for voicing views about the conflict, Theroux brought up the Ireland-based group Kneecap, who have likewise faced criticism for their approach to pro-Palestine advocacy.

"That's an interesting one," Vylan responded, "because as with everything race comes to play a factor in that we are an more convenient villain, seriously, than others are because we are inherently the enemy."