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

Controversial Chant and Political Reactions

The vocal punk pair sparked widespread controversy when they initiated crowd calls of "down with the IDF," pointing to the Israel Defense Forces, during their summer set. This chant was censured by festival organizers and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who labeled it as "shocking hate speech."

After the incident, the band was released by its representation UTA, and the US government revoked the artists' travel documents, compelling them to call off a planned US and Canada tour.

Interview with the Podcaster

During his initial public discussion after the festival performance, Vylan, using his real name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, conversed on The Louis Theroux Podcast. When questioned 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 say it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

He added that the backlash the duo faced was "minimal compared to what individuals in Gaza are going through."

On the Protest's Significance

"I aim not to exaggerate the significance 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 people that I'm advocating for, these are the people that I'm speaking up for, then what is there to feel sorry about? Well, because I've upset some rightwing politician or some conservative media?"

Surprising Reaction and BBC Feedback

The artist claimed he was taken aback by the uproar triggered by the chant, and stated that staff of the broadcaster employees at the event told him on the day that the set was "fantastic."

Yet, the corporation's executive complaints unit later found that the BBC's airing of the performance breached content standards in relation to offense and hurt.

He informed Theroux there was no sign of a dispute in the immediate aftermath: "It wasn't like we came off stage, and everyone was like [shocked]. It's just normal. We leave stage. It was normal. No one thought anything. Not a soul. Even staff at the BBC were like 'It was fantastic! We loved that!'"

Response to Blur Frontman

The musician also hit back at the Blur singer, who called the protest "one of the most spectacular misfires I've witnessed in my life" and described Vylan as "marching in tennis gear."

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

"I need to say that labeling it as a 'spectacular misfire' implies that somehow the views of the duo or our stance on Palestinian liberation is not thought out," he stated.

"I take great issue with the term 'goose-stepping' being used because it's only used around the Nazis," he added. "That's it. And for him to use that language, I think is disgusting. I think his response was appalling."

Meaning Behind the Slogan

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

"The key issue is the situation that exist to permit that chant to even take place on that stage. And I mean, the circumstances that are present in Palestine. In which the local people are being killed 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, would it? … We are there to perform. We are there to sing songs. I am a songwriter. 'The chant' rhymes. Perfect chant."

Denial of Hate Speech Allegations

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

"I believe I have caused an unsafe atmosphere for the Jewish community. Suppose there were large numbers of people acting and saying 'Bob Vylan made me do this'. I could go, oh, I've had a negative effect here," he said.

Contrast with Different Artists

When Vylan said he felt the duo had been criticised more heavily than others for speaking about the situation, Theroux brought up the Irish group another band, who have also faced criticism for their approach to pro-Palestinian advocacy.

"That's a notable point," he said, "since as with everything ethnicity becomes a part in that we are an easier villain, seriously, than others are because we are inherently the opponent."