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

Disputed Exclamation and Political Responses

The outspoken music duo sparked widespread controversy when they led crowd chants of "death, death to the IDF," referring to the Israel Defense Forces, during their June performance. This slogan was condemned by festival organizers and Britain's leader the prime minister, who described it as "appalling hate speech."

Following the event, the band was released by its representation United Talent Agency, and the US government cancelled the members' travel documents, compelling them to cancel a planned US and Canada tour.

Interview with the Podcaster

During his initial public discussion after the festival performance, Vylan, using his real name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, conversed on The Louis Theroux Podcast. After questioned if he would do it all again, he responded:

"Oh yeah. For instance what if 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 backlash the duo faced was "small compared to what people in Palestine are experiencing."

Regarding the Chant's Significance

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

Unexpected Reaction and Broadcaster Comments

The musician claimed he was surprised by the outcry triggered by the exclamation, and stated that members of the broadcaster employees at Glastonbury told him on the day that the performance was "fantastic."

Yet, the corporation's ECU subsequently found that the network's airing of the show violated content guidelines in regard to harm and hurt.

He informed Theroux there was no indication of a dispute in the immediate aftermath: "It didn't feel like we came off stage, and everyone was like [shocked]. It's just normal. We leave stage. It was normal. Nobody thought anything. Nobody. Including crew at the BBC were like 'That was fantastic! We loved that!'"

Reply to Damon Albarn

Vylan also hit back at Damon Albarn, who labeled the protest "one of the most spectacular misfires I've seen in my life" and described him as "goose-stepping in sport gear."

His reaction was "disappointing" and "showed no 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 Palestinian liberation is unplanned," 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 response was disgusting."

Intent Behind the Slogan

When questioned what he meant by the chant "Death to the IDF," the artist clarified the chant itself was "insignificant."

"The key issue is the situation that persist to allow that protest to even take place on that platform. And I mean, the circumstances that are present in Palestine. Where the Palestinian population 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 spread, would it? … We are there to entertain. We are there to sing songs. I am a songwriter. 'Death, Death to IDF' rhymes. Perfect slogan."

Rejection of Antisemitism Claims

The musician also denied claims from the CST, a monitoring and Jewish safety group, that their performance led to a spike in anti-Jewish events reported later.

"I don't think I have created an unsafe atmosphere for the Jewish community. Suppose there were large numbers of individuals acting and going like 'Bob Vylan made me do this'. I might go, oof, I've had a bad effect here," he said.

Comparison with Different Artists

As Vylan said he felt the band had been targeted more heavily than others for speaking about the conflict, the host referenced the Irish group Kneecap, who have likewise encountered criticism for their method to pro-Palestine advocacy.

"That's a notable point," he responded, "since as with everything ethnicity becomes a factor in that we are an more convenient target, no pun intended, than others are because we are already the opponent."