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The lead singer of Bob Vylan has stated he is "without regret" about his "death, death to the IDF" act at the festival and asserted he would "repeat it tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

Disputed Chant and Political Reactions

The vocal punk duo ignited significant controversy when they led audience chants of "death, death to the IDF," pointing to the IDF, during their summer set. The slogan was condemned by festival organizers and UK Prime Minister the prime minister, who labeled it as "appalling hate speech."

Following the event, the band was dropped by its representation UTA, and the American government revoked the members' travel documents, forcing them to cancel a scheduled US and Canada concert series.

Interview with Louis Theroux

During his first public discussion after the Glastonbury performance, Vylan, whose birth name is Pascal Foster, conversed on a popular podcast. When questioned if he would repeat his actions, he responded:

"Oh yeah. For instance suppose I was to perform at the festival again tomorrow, definitely I would repeat it. I'm without regret of it. I'd say it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

He added that the criticism the duo faced was "small compared to what individuals in Palestine are experiencing."

On the Chant's Importance

"I aim not to overstate the importance of the chant," he continued. "That's not what I'm trying to do, but since I have the Palestinian people's backing, they're the individuals that I'm doing it for, these are the individuals that I'm speaking up for, then what is there to regret? Oh, because I've angered some rightwing politician or some conservative media?"

Unexpected Reaction and Broadcaster Comments

The artist said he was surprised by the uproar triggered by the exclamation, and asserted that staff of BBC employees at the event told him on the same day that the performance was "fantastic."

However, the broadcaster's ECU subsequently found that the BBC's airing of the performance breached editorial standards in relation to harm and hurt.

Vylan told Theroux there was no indication of a dispute in the moment: "It wasn't like we left stage, and everyone was like [gasps]. It's just normal. We leave stage. It was normal. Nobody thought anything. Nobody. Including staff at the broadcaster were like 'That was fantastic! We loved that!'"

Reply to Blur Frontman

The musician also responded at Damon Albarn, who labeled the chant "one of the most spectacular misfires I've witnessed in my life" and characterized him as "marching in sport gear."

Albarn's reaction was "letdown" and "lacked self-awareness," Vylan remarked.

"I just want to say that categorising it as a 'spectacular misfire' suggests that in some way the politics of the band or our position on Palestinian liberation is not thought out," he explained.

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

Intent Behind the Slogan

When questioned what he intended by the chant "Down with the IDF," Vylan said the chant itself was "unimportant."

"What is important is the situation that persist to permit that chant to even occur on that stage. And I mean, the circumstances that are present in the region. In which the Palestinian people are being killed at an alarming rate. What matters about the slogan?" he said.

"Death to the IDF rhymes," he noted: "Stop the IDF' does not rhyme, wouldn't have spread, would it? … We are there to perform. We are there to play music. I am a lyricist. 'The chant' rhymes. Ideal chant."

Rejection of Hate Speech Claims

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

"I believe I have created an hostile environment for the Jewish people. Suppose there were many individuals of people acting and saying 'Bob Vylan made me do this'. I could go, oh, I've had a negative effect here," he said.

Comparison with Other Bands

When Vylan mentioned he thought the band had been targeted more severely than different artists for speaking about the situation, the host referenced the Irish group another band, who have likewise encountered criticism for their approach to pro-Palestine advocacy.

"That's a notable point," Vylan said, "because as with everything ethnicity comes to play a factor in that we are an more convenient target, no pun intended, than others are because we are already the opponent."