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Punk duo lead singer Bobby Vylan has stated he is "without regret" about his "anti-IDF chant" act at Glastonbury and declared he would "do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

Disputed Exclamation and Political Responses

This vocal music pair ignited widespread debate when they initiated audience calls of "death, death to the IDF," pointing to the Israel Defense Forces, during their summer performance. This slogan was censured by festival organizers and Britain's leader the prime minister, who labeled it as "appalling hate speech."

Following the incident, Bob Vylan was released by its agency UTA, and the American state department revoked the artists' visas, forcing the duo to cancel a scheduled US and Canada concert series.

Conversation with Louis Theroux

In his initial public discussion after the festival performance, Vylan, using his real name is Pascal Foster, conversed on The Louis Theroux Podcast. After questioned if he would repeat his actions, he responded:

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

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

Regarding the Chant's Importance

"I don't want to overstate the importance of the chant," he elaborated. "It isn't what I'm trying to do, but since I have their backing, these are the individuals that I'm advocating for, they're the people that I'm speaking up for, then what is there to feel sorry about? Oh, because I've upset some rightwing official or some rightwing news outlet?"

Unexpected Response and BBC Comments

The musician claimed he was surprised by the uproar sparked by the chant, and asserted that staff of BBC staff at Glastonbury told him on the same day that the set was "excellent."

However, the corporation's ECU subsequently found that the network's airing of the show violated editorial standards in regard to offense and offence.

Vylan told the host there was no indication of a controversy in the moment: "It didn't feel like we came off stage, and everyone was like [shocked]. It felt normal. We come off stage. It's normal. No one suspected anything. Not a soul. Including crew at the broadcaster were like 'It was fantastic! We enjoyed that!'"

Reply to Damon Albarn

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

Albarn's reaction was "letdown" and "lacked self-awareness," Vylan said.

"I just want to say that categorising it as a 'huge mistake' implies that in some way the views of the duo or our stance on Palestinian liberation is not thought out," he stated.

"I strongly object with the phrase 'goose-stepping' being used because it's only used around Nazi Germany," he added. "That's it. And for him to use that language, I think is offensive. I think his response was disgusting."

Meaning Behind the Slogan

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

"What is important is the situation that persist to permit that protest to even take place on that platform. And I mean, the conditions that exist in Palestine. Where the local people are being killed at an alarming rate. Who cares about the chant?" he said.

"The phrase rhymes," he noted: "'End, End 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. Ideal slogan."

Denial of Antisemitism Allegations

The musician also denied claims from the Community Security Trust, a watchdog and Jewish community safety group, that their performance contributed to a rise in anti-Jewish incidents reported two days.

"I don't think I have caused an hostile atmosphere for the Jewish community. If there were many individuals of individuals going out and saying 'Bob Vylan made me do this'. I might go, oh, I've had a negative impact here," he said.

Comparison with Other Bands

As he mentioned he felt the duo had been targeted more severely than different artists for speaking about the conflict, Theroux referenced the Irish group another band, who have likewise encountered backlash for their method to pro-Palestine advocacy.

"That's a notable point," he said, "since as with everything race comes to play a part in that we are an more convenient villain, no pun intended, than others are because we are inherently the opponent."