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Punk duo frontman Bobby Vylan has stated he is "not regretful" about his "anti-IDF chant" performance at the festival and declared he would "do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

Disputed Chant and Political Responses

The vocal music duo sparked significant controversy when they initiated crowd chants of "death, death to the IDF," referring to the Israel Defense Forces, during their summer set. This slogan was censured by festival organizers and Britain's leader the prime minister, who described it as "appalling hate speech."

Following the event, Bob Vylan was released by its representation UTA, and the American government revoked the artists' travel documents, forcing the duo to call off a scheduled North American concert series.

Interview with Louis Theroux

In his first interview after the festival performance, Vylan, using his real name is Pascal Foster, conversed on The Louis Theroux Podcast. When questioned if he would do it all again, he replied:

"Absolutely. For instance suppose I was to perform at Glastonbury again tomorrow, definitely I would do it again. I'm not regretful of it. I'd do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

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

Regarding the Chant's Importance

"I aim not to exaggerate the importance of the slogan," he elaborated. "It isn't what I'm attempting to do, but if I have the Palestinian people's backing, these are the individuals that I'm doing it for, these are the individuals that I'm being vocal for, then what is there to feel sorry about? Oh, because I've angered some rightwing politician or some rightwing media?"

Unexpected Reaction and BBC Feedback

The artist said he was surprised by the outcry triggered by the exclamation, and stated that staff of BBC employees at Glastonbury told him on the same day that the set was "excellent."

Yet, the broadcaster's ECU subsequently found that the network's airing of the show violated content standards in regard to harm and offence.

He informed Theroux there was no indication of a dispute in the immediate aftermath: "It didn't feel like we left stage, and everybody was like [shocked]. It's just normal. We leave stage. It's normal. Nobody suspected anything. Nobody. Including crew at the broadcaster were like 'That was fantastic! We enjoyed that!'"

Reply to Blur Frontman

The musician also hit back at the Blur singer, who labeled the chant "one of the most spectacular misfires I've seen in my life" and described Vylan as "goose-stepping in tennis gear."

His reaction was "disappointing" and "lacked self-awareness," he remarked.

"I need to say that categorising it as a 'huge mistake' implies that in some way the politics of the band or our stance on Palestine's freedom is not thought out," he explained.

"I take great issue with the phrase 'marching' being used because it's typically associated around Nazi Germany," he continued. "That's it. And for him to use that wording, I think is offensive. I think his response was appalling."

Meaning Behind the Slogan

When questioned what he meant by the phrase "Down with the IDF," the artist clarified the chant itself was "insignificant."

"The key issue is the conditions that persist to allow that protest to even take place on that stage. And I mean, the circumstances that exist in Palestine. Where the local people are being slain at an alarming rate. What matters about the chant?" he stated.

"Death to the IDF rhymes," he noted: "'End, End 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. 'The chant' rhymes. Perfect slogan."

Rejection of Antisemitism Allegations

The musician also rejected claims from the CST, a watchdog and Jewish community safety group, that their set led to a spike in antisemitic events reported later.

"I don't think I have caused an hostile atmosphere for the Jewish people. Suppose there were large numbers of individuals acting and going like 'We made me do this'. I could go, oh, I've had a negative impact here," he commented.

Comparison with Different Artists

As he said he felt the duo had been targeted more severely than others for speaking about the situation, the host brought up the Ireland-based band another band, who have also faced criticism for their method to pro-Palestine messaging.

"That's a notable point," he responded, "because as with everything ethnicity becomes a part in that we are an more convenient villain, seriously, than they are because we are inherently the enemy."