Bob Vylan Position on Glastonbury Israel Defense Forces Protest: "No Remorse"

Punk duo lead singer of Bob Vylan has stated he is "without regret" about his "anti-IDF chant" act at the festival and asserted he would "repeat it tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

Controversial Exclamation and Official Responses

The vocal music duo sparked significant controversy when they initiated audience calls of "death, death to the IDF," pointing to the Israel Defense Forces, during their summer set. The slogan was censured by Glastonbury and Britain's leader Keir Starmer, who described it as "appalling hate speech."

Following the event, the band was released by its agency United Talent Agency, and the American state department cancelled the artists' travel documents, compelling the duo to cancel a scheduled US and Canada concert series.

Conversation with Louis Theroux

During his first public discussion after the festival show, the musician, whose birth name is Pascal Foster, spoke on a popular podcast. When asked if he would repeat his actions, he replied:

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

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

On the Protest's Importance

"I don't want to overstate the significance of the slogan," he elaborated. "It isn't what I'm trying to do, but since I have the Palestinian people's backing, they're the people that I'm advocating for, they're the people that I'm being vocal for, then what is there to feel sorry about? Well, because I've angered some rightwing official or some conservative media?"

Unexpected Reaction and BBC Comments

This artist said he was taken aback by the outcry sparked by the exclamation, and asserted that staff of BBC staff at the event told him on the day that the performance was "fantastic."

However, the broadcaster's ECU subsequently found that the network's airing of the show violated editorial standards in relation to offense and offence.

He informed Theroux there was no sign of a dispute in the moment: "It didn't feel like we came off stage, and everybody was like [gasps]. It's just normal. We come off 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 Damon Albarn

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

His comment was "disappointing" and "lacked self-awareness," he said.

"I just want to say that categorising it as a 'spectacular misfire' implies that in some way the views of the duo or our stance on Palestine's freedom is unplanned," he stated.

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

Meaning Behind the Slogan

After asked what he intended by the chant "Death to the IDF," the artist clarified the slogan itself was "insignificant."

"What is important is the situation that persist to permit that chant to even take place on that platform. And I mean, the conditions that exist in the region. Where the local population are being killed at an alarming rate. What matters about the slogan?" 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 songwriter. 'Death, Death to IDF' rhymes. Perfect chant."

Denial of Hate Speech Claims

Vylan also rejected claims from the CST, a monitoring and Jewish safety organisation, that their set led to a rise in anti-Jewish events reported two days.

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

Contrast with Different Bands

As he said he felt the duo had been targeted more severely than different artists for voicing views about the situation, the host brought up the Ireland-based group another band, who have likewise faced backlash for their method to pro-Palestinian messaging.

"That's an interesting one," he said, "because as with everything ethnicity becomes a part in that we are an easier villain, no pun intended, than they are because we are inherently the opponent."