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Punk duo frontman Bobby Vylan has stated he is "not regretful" about his "death, death to the IDF" act at Glastonbury and declared he would "repeat it tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

Disputed Chant and Political Responses

This outspoken punk duo ignited widespread debate when they initiated crowd calls of "down with the IDF," referring to the IDF, during their June performance. The chant was condemned by Glastonbury and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who labeled it as "appalling hate speech."

After the incident, the band was dropped by its representation UTA, and the American government cancelled the members' visas, forcing them to cancel a scheduled US and Canada concert series.

Interview with Louis Theroux

During his first interview since the festival show, Vylan, whose real name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, conversed on The Louis Theroux Podcast. When asked if he would repeat his actions, he replied:

"Oh yeah. Like suppose I was to go on the festival again tomorrow, definitely I would do it again. 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 people in Palestine are going through."

On the Chant's Significance

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

Unexpected Response and BBC Feedback

This musician claimed he was taken aback by the outcry triggered by the exclamation, and asserted that members 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 determined that the network's broadcast of the show breached content standards in regard to offense and offence.

Vylan told the host there was no indication of a dispute in the immediate aftermath: "It wasn't like we came off stage, and everybody was like [shocked]. It's just normal. We leave stage. It's normal. No one thought anything. Nobody. Including staff at the broadcaster were like 'It was fantastic! We loved that!'"

Reply to Damon Albarn

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

Albarn's reaction was "disappointing" and "showed no self-awareness," Vylan remarked.

"I need to say that categorising it as a 'spectacular misfire' implies that in some way the views of the duo or our stance on Palestinian liberation is not thought out," he stated.

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

Intent Behind the Slogan

When questioned what he meant by the chant "Down with the IDF," Vylan clarified the slogan itself was "unimportant."

"What is important is the situation that exist to permit that protest to even take place on that stage. And I mean, the circumstances that exist in the region. In which the local people are being slain at an alarming rate. What matters about the chant?" he stated.

"Death to the IDF 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. 'The chant' rhymes. Ideal slogan."

Rejection of Antisemitism Claims

Vylan also rejected claims from the CST, a monitoring and Jewish safety group, that their set led to a spike in anti-Jewish incidents reported later.

"I don't think I have created an unsafe environment for the Jewish people. Suppose there were large numbers of individuals acting and saying 'Bob Vylan made me do this'. I might go, oof, I've had a bad impact here," he commented.

Contrast with Different Bands

When he said he thought the band had been targeted more severely than others for speaking about the situation, Theroux referenced the Irish group Kneecap, who have also encountered backlash for their method to pro-Palestinian messaging.

"That's a notable point," Vylan responded, "since as with all things ethnicity comes to play a part in that we are an more convenient target, seriously, than they are because we are already the opponent."