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Punk duo frontman Bobby Vylan has expressed he is "without regret" about his "anti-IDF chant" act at the festival and asserted he would "repeat it tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

Controversial Chant and Political Reactions

This vocal music pair sparked widespread debate when they initiated audience calls of "down with the IDF," referring to the Israel Defense Forces, during their June performance. The chant was censured by Glastonbury and UK Prime Minister the prime minister, who labeled it as "shocking hate speech."

Following the event, Bob Vylan was released by its agency UTA, and the US state department cancelled the members' visas, compelling the duo to cancel a scheduled US and Canada tour.

Interview with the Podcaster

During his initial public discussion since the Glastonbury performance, the musician, using his real name is Pascal Foster, spoke on The Louis Theroux Podcast. When questioned if he would do it all again, he replied:

"Absolutely. Like suppose I was to go on Glastonbury again tomorrow, definitely I would repeat it. I'm not regretful of it. I'd say it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

He added that the criticism the band encountered was "minimal compared to what individuals in Palestine are experiencing."

On the Protest's Significance

"I don't want to overstate the significance of the slogan," he elaborated. "It isn't what I'm attempting to do, but since I have the Palestinian people's support, these are the people that I'm doing it for, these are the individuals that I'm speaking up for, then what is there to regret? Well, because I've upset some rightwing official or some rightwing news outlet?"

Surprising Response and Broadcaster Comments

The artist said he was taken aback by the uproar triggered by the chant, and stated that members of the broadcaster staff at Glastonbury told him on the same day that the performance was "fantastic."

Yet, the corporation's ECU subsequently found that the network's airing of the show breached content standards in relation to harm and offence.

Vylan informed Theroux there was no sign of a controversy in the immediate aftermath: "It didn't feel like we left stage, and everyone was like [shocked]. It felt normal. We leave stage. It was normal. No one suspected anything. Nobody. Including staff at the broadcaster were like 'That was fantastic! We loved that!'"

Response to Blur Frontman

Vylan also responded at the Blur singer, who labeled the chant "one of the most spectacular misfires I've witnessed in my life" and described Vylan as "marching in tennis gear."

His reaction was "disappointing" and "showed no self-awareness," he said.

"I just want to say that categorising it as a 'huge mistake' implies that in some way the views of the band or our stance on Palestinian liberation is unplanned," he stated.

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

Intent Behind the Chant

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

"The key issue is the conditions 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 population are being slain at an disturbing rate. What matters about the slogan?" he said.

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

Rejection of Hate Speech Allegations

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

"I believe I have created an hostile atmosphere for the Jewish community. If there were many individuals of people going out and saying 'Bob Vylan made me do this'. I might go, oof, I've had a negative effect here," he said.

Comparison with Other Bands

As he said he felt the duo had been targeted more heavily than others for voicing views about the situation, the host brought up the Ireland-based band Kneecap, who have likewise encountered backlash for their approach to pro-Palestinian messaging.

"That's a notable point," he responded, "since as with all things ethnicity comes to play a factor in that we are an easier villain, no pun intended, than others are because we are inherently the enemy."