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The lead singer of Bob Vylan has stated he is "not regretful" about his "anti-IDF chant" act at the festival and declared he would "repeat it tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

Disputed Exclamation and Political Reactions

The outspoken punk duo ignited widespread debate when they led audience chants of "death, death to the IDF," pointing to the Israel Defense Forces, during their summer set. The chant was condemned by festival organizers and Britain's leader Keir Starmer, who described it as "appalling hate speech."

After the event, the band was dropped by its representation UTA, and the US government revoked the artists' visas, compelling the duo to call off a scheduled US and Canada tour.

Interview with Louis Theroux

During his first public discussion after the Glastonbury performance, Vylan, whose birth name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, spoke on a popular podcast. After questioned if he would do it all again, he replied:

"Oh yeah. For instance what if I was to perform at the festival again tomorrow, definitely I would do it again. I'm not regretful of it. I'd say it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

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

Regarding the Chant's Significance

"I don't want to overstate the significance of the slogan," he continued. "It isn't what I'm trying to do, but since I have the Palestinian people's support, these are 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 conservative politician or some conservative news outlet?"

Surprising Response and Broadcaster Comments

The musician said he was surprised by the outcry sparked by the exclamation, and asserted that members of the broadcaster employees at Glastonbury told him on the same day that the performance was "fantastic."

Yet, the corporation's executive complaints unit subsequently determined that the BBC's broadcast of the performance breached content guidelines in relation to harm and offence.

Vylan told the host there was no indication of a dispute in the moment: "It wasn't like we left stage, and everyone was like [gasps]. It felt normal. We come off stage. It was normal. No one thought anything. Nobody. Even staff at the broadcaster were like 'That was fantastic! We loved that!'"

Reply to Blur Frontman

The musician also hit back at Damon Albarn, who called the chant "a major misstep I've seen in my life" and described Vylan as "goose-stepping in tennis gear."

Albarn's comment was "letdown" and "showed no self-awareness," he said.

"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 not thought out," he explained.

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

Meaning Behind the Chant

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

"The key issue is the conditions that exist to allow that chant to even occur on that stage. And I mean, the circumstances that are present in Palestine. In which the local population are being slain at an alarming rate. Who cares about the slogan?" he stated.

"The phrase rhymes," he noted: "'End, End the IDF does not rhyme, wouldn't have caught on, would it? … We are there to entertain. We are there to play music. I am a lyricist. 'The chant' rhymes. Perfect slogan."

Rejection of Antisemitism Allegations

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

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

Comparison with Different Artists

When he mentioned he thought the duo had been criticised more heavily than others for speaking about the situation, Theroux brought up the Ireland-based group Kneecap, who have also faced backlash for their approach to pro-Palestine advocacy.

"That's an interesting one," he responded, "since as with all things ethnicity comes to play a part in that we are an easier target, seriously, than they are because we are already the opponent."