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Punk duo lead singer Bobby Vylan has stated he is "without regret" about his "death, death to the IDF" performance at Glastonbury and asserted he would "repeat it tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

Controversial Exclamation and Political Reactions

The outspoken punk duo ignited significant controversy when they initiated crowd calls of "death, death to 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 "shocking hate speech."

After the incident, the band was dropped by its representation UTA, and the US government cancelled the artists' visas, forcing them to cancel a scheduled North American tour.

Conversation with Louis Theroux

During his first public discussion since the Glastonbury performance, the musician, using his real name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, spoke on The Louis Theroux Podcast. When questioned if he would repeat his actions, he responded:

"Absolutely. Like what if I was to go on Glastonbury 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 backlash the duo faced was "small compared to what individuals in Palestine are experiencing."

Regarding the Chant's Significance

"I don't want to overstate the importance of the chant," he continued. "It isn't what I'm trying to do, but if I have the Palestinian people's support, they're the individuals that I'm advocating for, these are the individuals that I'm speaking up for, then what is there to feel sorry about? Oh, because I've upset some conservative politician or some rightwing news outlet?"

Unexpected Response and Broadcaster Feedback

The artist claimed he was taken aback by the outcry triggered by the chant, and stated that staff of BBC employees at Glastonbury told him on the same day that the performance was "excellent."

Yet, the broadcaster's ECU later determined that the network's airing of the show breached content standards in regard to harm and hurt.

Vylan told the host there was no sign of a controversy in the immediate aftermath: "It wasn't like we left stage, and everyone was like [shocked]. It felt normal. We leave stage. It's normal. No one suspected anything. Not a soul. Including crew at the broadcaster were like 'It was fantastic! We enjoyed that!'"

Reply to Blur Frontman

Vylan also responded at Damon Albarn, who labeled the chant "one of the most spectacular misfires I've witnessed in my life" and described Vylan as "goose-stepping in sport gear."

Albarn's comment was "letdown" and "showed no self-awareness," Vylan remarked.

"I just want to say that labeling it as a 'spectacular misfire' suggests that somehow the politics of the band or our stance on Palestine's freedom is unplanned," he stated.

"I strongly object with the phrase 'marching' being used because it's typically associated around Nazi Germany," he added. "That's it. And for him to use that wording, I think is offensive. I think his answer was appalling."

Meaning Behind the Slogan

After questioned what he meant by the chant "Death to the IDF," Vylan said the slogan itself was "unimportant."

"The key issue is the conditions that persist to permit that protest to even occur on that platform. And I mean, the conditions that exist in Palestine. In which the local population are being killed at an disturbing rate. Who cares about the slogan?" he stated.

"Death to the IDF rhymes," he noted: "'End, End 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. 'Death, Death to IDF' rhymes. Ideal slogan."

Denial of Hate Speech Claims

Vylan also denied assertions from the CST, a watchdog and Jewish community safety organisation, that their performance led to a rise in anti-Jewish events recorded later.

"I believe I have caused an unsafe atmosphere for the Jewish community. Suppose there were many individuals of people acting and saying 'We made me do this'. I could go, oh, I've had a bad effect here," he commented.

Contrast with Different Bands

As Vylan mentioned he felt the band had been targeted more severely than others for speaking about the conflict, Theroux brought up the Ireland-based band another band, who have also encountered backlash for their approach to pro-Palestine advocacy.

"That's an interesting one," Vylan said, "because as with everything race comes to play a factor in that we are an more convenient villain, seriously, than others are because we are inherently the enemy."