🔗 Share this article

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

Controversial Exclamation and Official Reactions

This outspoken punk pair sparked significant debate when they led crowd chants of "death, death to the IDF," pointing to the IDF, during their summer performance. The chant was censured by festival organizers and Britain's leader Keir Starmer, who described it as "shocking hate speech."

Following the event, the band was dropped by its representation UTA, and the US state department cancelled the members' visas, forcing them to call off a planned US and Canada tour.

Interview with the Podcaster

In his initial interview since the Glastonbury performance, Vylan, using his real name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, spoke on The Louis Theroux Podcast. After asked if he would do it all again, he replied:

"Oh yeah. Like what if I was to go on Glastonbury again tomorrow, definitely I would do it again. I'm without regret of it. I'd do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

The artist added that the criticism the duo encountered was "small compared to what individuals in Palestine are going through."

Regarding the Chant's Importance

"I don't want to overstate the importance of the slogan," he elaborated. "That's not what I'm attempting to do, but if I have their support, they're the individuals that I'm advocating for, these are the people that I'm speaking up for, then what is there to feel sorry about? Oh, because I've upset some conservative official or some conservative news outlet?"

Unexpected Response and Broadcaster Feedback

This musician claimed he was surprised by the outcry sparked by the exclamation, and stated that members of BBC staff at Glastonbury told him on the same day that the set was "excellent."

However, the corporation's ECU later determined that the BBC's broadcast of the show breached content guidelines in relation to harm and hurt.

Vylan told Theroux there was no indication of a controversy in the immediate aftermath: "It didn't feel like we came off stage, and everybody was like [gasps]. It felt normal. We come off stage. It was normal. Nobody thought anything. Not a soul. Including crew at the BBC were like 'That was fantastic! We enjoyed that!'"

Reply to Blur Frontman

The musician also responded at Damon Albarn, who called the protest "a major misstep I've witnessed in my life" and characterized him as "marching in sport gear."

His reaction was "letdown" and "showed no self-awareness," Vylan said.

"I need to say that labeling it as a 'spectacular misfire' suggests that in some way the views of the band or our position on Palestinian liberation is unplanned," he stated.

"I take great issue with the phrase 'marching' being used because it's only used around the Nazis," he continued. "That's it. And for him to use that wording, I think is disgusting. I think his response was appalling."

Intent Behind the Chant

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

"What is important is the conditions that persist to permit that protest to even take place on that stage. And I mean, the conditions that exist in Palestine. Where the Palestinian population are being slain at an disturbing rate. Who cares about the slogan?" he stated.

"Death to the IDF rhymes," he added: "Stop the IDF' does not rhyme, wouldn't have caught on, right? … We are there to entertain. We are there to play music. I am a songwriter. 'The chant' rhymes. Ideal chant."

Denial of Antisemitism Claims

Vylan also denied claims from the CST, a watchdog and Jewish safety organisation, that their performance contributed to a spike in anti-Jewish incidents reported two days.

"I believe I have caused an hostile atmosphere for the Jewish people. Suppose there were large numbers of people going out and going like 'Bob Vylan made me do this'. I might go, oh, I've had a bad effect here," he commented.

Comparison with Other Artists

As he mentioned he felt the band had been criticised more heavily than different artists for voicing views about the conflict, the host brought up the Irish band Kneecap, who have likewise faced criticism for their method to pro-Palestinian messaging.

"That's an interesting one," he said, "because as with everything ethnicity comes to play a part in that we are an more convenient villain, seriously, than others are because we are already the enemy."