Bob Vylan Position on Glastonbury Israel Defense Forces Protest: "No Remorse"

Punk duo lead singer Bobby Vylan has expressed he is "not regretful" about his "death, death to the IDF" act at the festival and asserted he would "repeat it tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

Controversial Chant and Political Reactions

The outspoken music pair sparked widespread debate when they led crowd calls of "death, death to the IDF," pointing to the IDF, during their June performance. The slogan was condemned by festival organizers and Britain's leader the prime minister, who labeled it as "shocking hate speech."

After the event, the band was dropped by its agency UTA, and the American government cancelled the artists' travel documents, forcing them to call off a planned North American tour.

Interview with the Podcaster

In his first interview since the Glastonbury performance, the musician, using his real name is Pascal Foster, spoke on a popular podcast. After asked if he would do it all again, he replied:

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

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

On the Protest's Significance

"I aim not to exaggerate the significance of the chant," he continued. "That's not what I'm trying to do, but if I have their 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 regret? Well, because I've angered some rightwing official or some rightwing media?"

Surprising Reaction and BBC Comments

This artist said he was surprised by the uproar triggered by the exclamation, and stated that staff of the broadcaster staff at Glastonbury told him on the day that the performance was "excellent."

However, the broadcaster's executive complaints unit subsequently determined that the network's airing of the performance violated editorial standards in relation to offense and hurt.

He told Theroux there was no indication of a controversy in the immediate aftermath: "It didn't feel like we came off stage, and everyone was like [shocked]. It felt normal. We come off stage. It was normal. No one suspected anything. Not a soul. Including staff at the BBC were like 'It was fantastic! We enjoyed that!'"

Reply to Blur Frontman

The musician also responded at the Blur singer, who called the chant "a major misstep I've seen in my life" and characterized Vylan as "marching in sport gear."

His comment was "letdown" and "showed no self-awareness," Vylan remarked.

"I just want to say that categorising it as a 'spectacular misfire' suggests that somehow the views of the duo or our position on Palestine's freedom is not thought out," he stated.

"I take great issue with the term 'goose-stepping' being used because it's typically associated around Nazi Germany," he continued. "Precisely. And for him to use that wording, I think is offensive. I think his response was appalling."

Meaning Behind the Chant

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

"What is important is the conditions that persist to permit that protest to even occur on that stage. And I mean, the circumstances that are present in the region. Where the Palestinian population are being killed at an disturbing rate. Who cares about the slogan?" he stated.

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

Denial of Antisemitism Allegations

Vylan also rejected assertions from the CST, a watchdog and Jewish safety organisation, that their performance contributed to a rise in antisemitic incidents recorded two days.

"I don't think I have caused an unsafe atmosphere for the Jewish people. If there were many individuals of people going out and saying 'We made me do this'. I could go, oh, I've had a negative impact here," he commented.

Comparison with Other Bands

As Vylan mentioned he felt the duo had been criticised more heavily than different artists for speaking about the situation, Theroux referenced the Ireland-based group another band, who have likewise faced backlash for their approach to pro-Palestine advocacy.

"That's a notable point," Vylan said, "because as with everything race comes to play a factor in that we are an more convenient villain, no pun intended, than others are because we are already the enemy."