Bobby Vylan Stance on Festival Israel Defense Forces Protest: "No Remorse"

Punk duo lead singer Bobby Vylan has expressed he is "without regret" about his "death, death to the IDF" act at Glastonbury and asserted he would "repeat it tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

Disputed Chant and Political Responses

The vocal music pair ignited significant 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 condemned by festival organizers and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who described it as "appalling hate speech."

After the incident, Bob Vylan was released by its representation UTA, and the American state department revoked the members' travel documents, compelling the duo to cancel a scheduled US and Canada tour.

Conversation with Louis Theroux

In his first interview since the festival performance, Vylan, whose birth name is Pascal Foster, spoke on The Louis Theroux Podcast. When questioned if he would do it all again, he responded:

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

He noted that the criticism the band encountered was "small compared to what people in Gaza are going through."

On the Chant's Significance

"I aim not 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, these are the individuals that I'm advocating for, they're the people that I'm being vocal for, then what is there to feel sorry about? Oh, because I've upset some rightwing politician or some rightwing media?"

Unexpected Response and BBC Comments

This artist claimed he was surprised by the outcry sparked by the chant, 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 BBC's airing of the show breached content guidelines in relation to offense and hurt.

He informed the host there was no sign of a dispute in the immediate aftermath: "It wasn't like we left stage, and everybody was like [gasps]. It's just normal. We leave stage. It's normal. Nobody thought anything. Nobody. Even crew at the broadcaster were like 'It was fantastic! We loved that!'"

Response to Damon Albarn

The musician also responded at Damon Albarn, who called the chant "a major misstep I've witnessed in my life" and described Vylan as "marching in tennis gear."

His reaction was "disappointing" and "lacked self-awareness," Vylan remarked.

"I need to say that categorising it as a 'huge mistake' implies that somehow the politics of the duo or our stance on Palestine's freedom is unplanned," he explained.

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

Meaning Behind the Slogan

When asked what he intended by the phrase "Death to the IDF," the artist clarified the chant itself was "insignificant."

"What is important is the situation that persist to permit that protest to even occur on that platform. And I mean, the circumstances that exist in the region. Where the Palestinian population are being killed at an alarming rate. What matters about the slogan?" he said.

"The phrase rhymes," he added: "Stop the IDF' does not rhyme, wouldn't have spread, right? … We are there to perform. We are there to sing songs. I am a songwriter. 'Death, Death to IDF' rhymes. Ideal slogan."

Rejection of Hate Speech Allegations

The musician also denied assertions from the CST, a monitoring and Jewish safety group, that their set contributed to a rise in antisemitic incidents reported two days.

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

Comparison with Other Bands

As Vylan said he thought the band had been targeted more heavily than others for voicing views about the conflict, the host brought up the Irish group Kneecap, who have likewise faced criticism for their approach to pro-Palestinian advocacy.

"That's a notable point," he responded, "because as with everything race comes to play a part in that we are an easier target, no pun intended, than they are because we are already the enemy."