Bob Vylan's Stance on Festival Israel Defense Forces Protest: "No Regrets"

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

Controversial Chant and Official Responses

The outspoken punk pair ignited significant controversy when they initiated audience chants of "down with the IDF," referring to the Israel Defense Forces, during their June set. The slogan was condemned by Glastonbury and Britain's leader Keir Starmer, who described it as "shocking hate speech."

After the incident, the band was released by its agency UTA, and the American government cancelled the artists' visas, forcing the duo to cancel a scheduled US and Canada concert series.

Interview with Louis Theroux

In his initial public discussion since the Glastonbury performance, Vylan, whose real name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, conversed on The Louis Theroux Podcast. When asked if he would repeat his actions, he responded:

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

The artist noted that the backlash the band encountered was "minimal compared to what individuals in Gaza are experiencing."

Regarding the Chant's Importance

"I don't want to exaggerate the significance of the chant," he continued. "It isn't what I'm attempting to do, but since I have their backing, these are the people that I'm advocating for, they're the people that I'm speaking up for, then what is there to feel sorry about? Oh, because I've angered some rightwing official or some conservative news outlet?"

Surprising Response and BBC Comments

This musician said he was surprised by the outcry sparked by the exclamation, and asserted that staff of BBC employees at Glastonbury told him on the day that the performance was "excellent."

Yet, the broadcaster's ECU subsequently determined that the BBC's broadcast of the performance violated content guidelines in relation to offense and offence.

Vylan told the host there was no sign of a dispute in the moment: "It wasn't like we came off stage, and everybody was like [gasps]. It's just normal. We leave stage. It was normal. Nobody suspected anything. Not a soul. Including crew at the broadcaster were like 'It was fantastic! We enjoyed that!'"

Reply to Blur Frontman

Vylan also hit back at the Blur singer, who labeled the chant "a major misstep I've seen in my life" and characterized him as "marching in tennis gear."

His comment was "disappointing" and "showed no self-awareness," he said.

"I just want to say that labeling it as a 'huge mistake' suggests that in some way the politics of the band or our position on Palestine's freedom is not thought out," he stated.

"I strongly object with the term 'goose-stepping' being used because it's typically associated around the Nazis," he added. "Precisely. And for him to use that language, I think is disgusting. I think his answer was appalling."

Meaning Behind the Chant

When questioned what he meant by the chant "Death to the IDF," the artist said the chant itself was "insignificant."

"The key issue is the conditions that exist to allow that protest to even occur on that platform. And I mean, the circumstances that are present in the region. In which the Palestinian population are being slain at an disturbing rate. Who cares about the slogan?" he stated.

"Death to the IDF rhymes," he added: "'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 songwriter. 'The chant' rhymes. Perfect chant."

Rejection of Hate Speech Claims

The musician also rejected assertions from the Community Security Trust, a monitoring and Jewish community safety group, that their set led to a spike in antisemitic events recorded two days.

"I believe I have caused an unsafe environment for the Jewish people. If there were many individuals of individuals acting and saying 'Bob Vylan made me do this'. I could go, oof, I've had a negative impact here," he commented.

Contrast with Different Artists

As he mentioned he felt the duo had been targeted more heavily than others for voicing views about the situation, the host brought up the Irish band Kneecap, who have also faced criticism for their approach to pro-Palestine messaging.

"That's a notable point," he responded, "because as with everything race becomes a part in that we are an more convenient target, seriously, than others are because we are inherently the opponent."