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

Controversial Exclamation and Official Reactions

This vocal punk duo sparked significant controversy when they initiated audience calls of "down with the IDF," referring to the IDF, during their summer performance. This chant was condemned by festival organizers and Britain's leader the prime minister, who labeled it as "shocking hate speech."

After the incident, the band was dropped by its agency UTA, and the US government cancelled the artists' visas, compelling them to cancel a planned US and Canada tour.

Interview with Louis Theroux

In his first public discussion since the Glastonbury show, the musician, using his birth name is Pascal Foster, conversed on The Louis Theroux Podcast. When questioned if he would do it all again, he replied:

"Absolutely. For instance what if I was to perform at the festival again tomorrow, yes I would repeat it. I'm not regretful of it. I'd do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

He noted that the backlash the duo faced was "minimal compared to what individuals in Gaza are experiencing."

Regarding the Protest's Importance

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

Surprising Reaction and BBC Feedback

The artist said he was taken aback by the outcry triggered by the chant, and asserted that members of the broadcaster employees at the event told him on the day that the performance was "excellent."

However, the broadcaster's executive complaints unit subsequently found that the BBC's airing of the show breached content standards in relation to harm and hurt.

He informed Theroux there was no indication of a dispute in the moment: "It didn't feel like we came off stage, and everybody was like [shocked]. It's just normal. We leave stage. It's normal. Nobody suspected anything. Nobody. Even staff at the BBC were like 'It was fantastic! We enjoyed that!'"

Response to Damon Albarn

The musician also hit back at Damon Albarn, who labeled the chant "a major misstep I've seen in my life" and characterized him as "goose-stepping in sport gear."

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

"I just want to say that categorising it as a 'huge mistake' suggests that in some way the politics of the duo or our position on Palestine's freedom is not thought out," he stated.

"I strongly object with the term 'marching' being used because it's typically associated around the Nazis," he continued. "Precisely. And for him to use that wording, I think is disgusting. I think his answer was disgusting."

Meaning Behind the Slogan

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

"The key issue is the situation that exist to allow that protest to even occur on that platform. And I mean, the circumstances that exist in Palestine. In which the Palestinian 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 caught on, 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 Antisemitism Claims

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

"I don't think I have caused an unsafe environment for the Jewish community. If there were many individuals of individuals acting and going like 'Bob Vylan made me do this'. I could go, oof, I've had a negative effect here," he commented.

Comparison with Other Bands

As Vylan said he thought the duo had been targeted more severely than others for voicing views about the situation, Theroux brought up the Ireland-based band Kneecap, who have likewise faced backlash for their approach to pro-Palestine messaging.

"That's an interesting one," he said, "since as with everything ethnicity comes to play a factor in that we are an more convenient villain, no pun intended, than they are because we are already the opponent."