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Punk duo 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."

Controversial Chant and Official Responses

The vocal music duo ignited significant controversy when they initiated crowd chants of "down with the IDF," referring to the IDF, during their June set. This slogan was censured by festival organizers and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who described it as "appalling hate speech."

Following the incident, Bob Vylan was dropped by its agency UTA, and the US government revoked the members' visas, forcing them to cancel a scheduled North American concert series.

Interview with Louis Theroux

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

"Oh yeah. For instance what if I was to perform at the festival again tomorrow, definitely I would repeat it. I'm without regret of it. I'd do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

He noted that the criticism the duo faced was "minimal compared to what people in Gaza are going through."

On the Chant's Significance

"I don't want to overstate the importance of the chant," he elaborated. "That's not what I'm attempting to do, but since I have the Palestinian people's backing, they're the individuals that I'm doing it for, these are the people that I'm being vocal for, then what is there to regret? Oh, because I've upset some conservative politician or some conservative media?"

Surprising Response and Broadcaster Comments

This musician said he was taken aback by the outcry sparked by the chant, and asserted that members of the broadcaster staff at Glastonbury told him on the day that the performance was "fantastic."

However, the broadcaster's executive complaints unit later found that the network's airing of the show violated content standards in regard to harm and offence.

He told the host there was no indication of a controversy in the immediate aftermath: "It didn't feel like we left stage, and everyone was like [shocked]. It felt normal. We come off stage. It's normal. No one suspected anything. Nobody. Including crew at the broadcaster were like 'That was fantastic! We loved that!'"

Response to Damon Albarn

Vylan also responded at the Blur singer, who called the protest "a major misstep I've witnessed in my life" and characterized him as "marching in sport gear."

Albarn's reaction was "letdown" and "showed no self-awareness," he remarked.

"I just want to say that categorising 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 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 language, I think is offensive. I think his answer was appalling."

Intent Behind the Chant

When asked what he intended by the chant "Down with the IDF," Vylan said the slogan itself was "insignificant."

"What is important is the conditions that exist to permit that protest to even take place on that stage. And I mean, the circumstances that are present in Palestine. In which the local population are being killed at an alarming rate. What matters about the slogan?" he stated.

"Death to the IDF rhymes," he noted: "Stop 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. Perfect chant."

Denial of Hate Speech Claims

Vylan also denied assertions from the CST, a watchdog and Jewish safety group, that their set led to a spike in anti-Jewish events recorded two days.

"I don't think I have caused an hostile environment for the Jewish people. If there were many individuals of people acting and saying 'We made me do this'. I could go, oh, I've had a bad impact here," he said.

Contrast with Other Bands

When he mentioned he thought the band had been criticised more heavily than others for speaking about the situation, the host referenced the Irish band another band, who have likewise encountered criticism for their approach to pro-Palestine messaging.

"That's an interesting one," he said, "since as with all things ethnicity becomes a part in that we are an more convenient villain, seriously, than others are because we are already the opponent."