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The lead singer of Bob Vylan has stated he is "not regretful" about his "anti-IDF chant" performance at the festival and asserted he would "do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

Controversial Chant and Official Reactions

This vocal music pair sparked widespread controversy when they initiated crowd chants of "death, death to the IDF," referring to the Israel Defense Forces, during their June set. This slogan was condemned by festival organizers and Britain's leader the prime minister, who labeled it as "appalling hate speech."

After the event, Bob Vylan was dropped by its agency UTA, and the US state department cancelled the members' travel documents, compelling them to call off a planned US and Canada tour.

Interview with Louis Theroux

In his first public discussion after the festival performance, the musician, whose real name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, conversed on a popular podcast. After asked if he would repeat his actions, he responded:

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

The artist noted that the criticism the band encountered was "minimal compared to what people in Gaza are experiencing."

Regarding the Chant's Significance

"I don't want to exaggerate the significance of the chant," he elaborated. "It isn't what I'm trying to do, but if I have the Palestinian people's support, they're the individuals that I'm advocating for, these are the people that I'm speaking up for, then what is there to regret? Oh, because I've angered some rightwing politician or some rightwing media?"

Surprising Response and Broadcaster Comments

This musician claimed he was surprised by the outcry sparked by the exclamation, and stated that staff of the broadcaster staff at the event told him on the same day that the set was "fantastic."

However, the broadcaster's executive complaints unit subsequently found that the BBC's broadcast of the performance violated editorial guidelines in relation to offense and offence.

He informed the host there was no sign of a controversy in the immediate aftermath: "It didn't feel like we came off stage, and everyone was like [gasps]. It felt normal. We come off stage. It's normal. Nobody thought anything. Nobody. Even crew at the BBC were like 'That was fantastic! We loved that!'"

Reply to Blur Frontman

The musician also responded at Damon Albarn, who called the protest "one of the most spectacular misfires I've seen in my life" and characterized Vylan as "marching in tennis gear."

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

"I just want to say that categorising it as a 'spectacular misfire' suggests that in some way the views of the band or our stance on Palestinian liberation is unplanned," he stated.

"I take great issue with the term 'marching' being used because it's only used around the Nazis," he added. "That's it. And for him to use that language, I think is disgusting. I think his answer was disgusting."

Meaning Behind the Chant

After questioned what he meant by the phrase "Death to the IDF," the artist clarified the slogan itself was "insignificant."

"What is important is the situation that exist to allow that chant to even occur on that stage. And I mean, the conditions that are present in Palestine. In which the local people are being slain at an alarming rate. What matters about the chant?" he said.

"The phrase rhymes," he added: "Stop the IDF' does not rhyme, wouldn't have caught on, right? … We are there to entertain. We are there to play music. I am a lyricist. 'The chant' rhymes. Ideal slogan."

Rejection of Hate Speech Claims

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

"I believe I have created an hostile atmosphere for the Jewish people. Suppose there were many individuals of individuals acting and saying 'We made me do this'. I could go, oh, I've had a bad impact here," he said.

Contrast with Other Artists

When he mentioned he thought the duo had been targeted more severely than different artists for speaking about the conflict, the host referenced the Ireland-based group another band, who have likewise encountered criticism for their method to pro-Palestine messaging.

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