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Punk duo lead singer Bobby Vylan has stated he is "not regretful" about his "anti-IDF chant" performance at Glastonbury and declared he would "do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

Disputed Exclamation and Political Responses

The outspoken punk pair sparked widespread controversy when they initiated crowd chants of "death, death to the IDF," referring to the Israel Defense Forces, during their June performance. The slogan was condemned by festival organizers and UK Prime Minister the prime minister, who labeled it as "shocking hate speech."

Following the event, the band was dropped by its agency United Talent Agency, and the American government revoked the artists' visas, compelling the duo to call off a planned North American concert series.

Interview with Louis Theroux

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

"Absolutely. For instance suppose I was to go on Glastonbury again tomorrow, yes I would repeat it. I'm without regret of it. I'd say it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

The artist added that the backlash the duo faced was "small compared to what people in Gaza are going through."

Regarding the Protest's Importance

"I don't want to exaggerate 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 advocating for, these are the individuals that I'm speaking up for, then what is there to regret? Well, because I've upset some rightwing politician or some conservative news outlet?"

Surprising Reaction and BBC Feedback

The musician claimed he was taken aback by the uproar sparked 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 broadcast of the show breached content standards in relation to harm and offence.

He told Theroux there was no indication of a controversy in the moment: "It wasn't like we came off stage, and everyone was like [shocked]. It felt normal. We come off stage. It's normal. Nobody suspected anything. Not a soul. Including crew at the broadcaster were like 'It was fantastic! We enjoyed that!'"

Reply to Blur Frontman

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

Albarn's comment was "disappointing" and "lacked self-awareness," Vylan said.

"I need to say that categorising it as a 'huge mistake' suggests that somehow the views of the duo or our position 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 continued. "Precisely. And for him to use that wording, I think is disgusting. I think his answer was disgusting."

Meaning Behind the Slogan

When asked what he meant by the chant "Down with the IDF," the artist said the chant itself was "insignificant."

"The key issue is the situation that exist to allow that chant to even occur on that platform. And I mean, the conditions that exist in Palestine. Where the Palestinian people are being killed at an alarming rate. What matters about the slogan?" he stated.

"Death to the IDF rhymes," he added: "'End, End the IDF does not rhyme, wouldn't have caught on, right? … We are there to perform. We are there to sing songs. I am a lyricist. 'Death, Death to IDF' rhymes. Perfect slogan."

Denial of Antisemitism Allegations

The musician also denied claims from the Community Security Trust, a monitoring and Jewish safety group, that their set contributed to a spike in anti-Jewish incidents recorded later.

"I don't think I have created an hostile environment for the Jewish community. Suppose there were many individuals of individuals going out and saying 'We made me do this'. I could go, oof, I've had a bad effect here," he said.

Contrast with Other Bands

As he mentioned he felt the band had been targeted more heavily than different artists for voicing views about the conflict, Theroux brought up the Ireland-based group Kneecap, who have also encountered backlash for their method to pro-Palestinian advocacy.

"That's an interesting one," he said, "because as with everything race becomes a part in that we are an more convenient villain, seriously, than others are because we are inherently the enemy."