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The frontman of Bob Vylan has stated he is "without regret" about his "anti-IDF chant" performance at Glastonbury and declared he would "repeat it tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

Disputed Chant and Official Responses

This vocal punk pair sparked widespread controversy when they led crowd chants of "down with the IDF," pointing to the IDF, during their June set. The chant was condemned by Glastonbury and UK Prime Minister the prime minister, who described it as "appalling hate speech."

Following the incident, Bob Vylan was released by its agency United Talent Agency, and the American government revoked the members' visas, forcing them to call off a planned North American tour.

Interview with the Podcaster

During his first public discussion after the Glastonbury show, the musician, using his birth name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, spoke on The Louis Theroux Podcast. After questioned if he would do it all again, he replied:

"Oh yeah. Like suppose I was to go on Glastonbury again tomorrow, yes I would do it again. I'm not regretful of it. I'd say it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

He added that the criticism the duo faced was "small compared to what people in Palestine are going through."

Regarding the Protest's Importance

"I aim not to overstate the importance of the slogan," he continued. "It isn't what I'm trying to do, but if I have the Palestinian people's backing, these are the individuals that I'm advocating for, they're the individuals that I'm being vocal for, then what is there to feel sorry about? Oh, because I've angered some rightwing politician or some conservative media?"

Unexpected Response and Broadcaster Comments

This musician said he was surprised by the uproar triggered by the chant, and asserted that members of the broadcaster staff at the event told him on the same day that the performance was "fantastic."

However, the corporation's executive complaints unit subsequently found that the BBC's broadcast of the show breached editorial guidelines in regard to offense and offence.

He told Theroux there was no indication of a dispute in the moment: "It wasn't like we came off stage, and everyone was like [shocked]. It's just normal. We come off stage. It's normal. No one suspected anything. Not a soul. Even crew at the BBC were like 'It was fantastic! We enjoyed that!'"

Reply to Damon Albarn

The musician also hit back at the Blur singer, who labeled the chant "a major misstep I've seen in my life" and characterized Vylan as "goose-stepping in tennis gear."

Albarn's comment was "letdown" and "lacked self-awareness," Vylan remarked.

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

"I strongly object with the term 'goose-stepping' being used because it's only used around Nazi Germany," he added. "Precisely. And for him to use that language, I think is disgusting. I think his response was disgusting."

Meaning Behind the Slogan

When asked what he intended by the phrase "Down with the IDF," the artist said the chant itself was "unimportant."

"The key issue is the situation that exist to allow that chant to even take place on that stage. And I mean, the conditions that are present in the region. Where the local population are being slain at an disturbing 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 play music. I am a lyricist. 'Death, Death to IDF' rhymes. Perfect chant."

Rejection of Hate Speech Claims

Vylan also denied claims from the Community Security Trust, a watchdog and Jewish safety group, that their performance led to a rise in antisemitic events reported two days.

"I believe I have caused an hostile atmosphere for the Jewish people. If there were many individuals of individuals going out and saying 'We made me do this'. I might go, oh, I've had a bad effect here," he commented.

Comparison with Different Artists

When he said he thought the duo had been targeted more heavily than others for speaking about the situation, Theroux referenced the Ireland-based group Kneecap, who have also encountered backlash for their approach to pro-Palestine advocacy.

"That's a notable point," he said, "since as with all things ethnicity becomes a part in that we are an easier target, seriously, than others are because we are already the enemy."