Bob Vylan Stance on Festival IDF Chant: "No Regrets"

Punk duo lead singer Bobby Vylan has stated he is "without regret" about his "anti-IDF chant" act at the festival and declared he would "repeat it tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

Disputed Exclamation and Official Responses

The vocal punk pair sparked widespread controversy when they initiated crowd chants of "down with the IDF," referring to the IDF, during their June set. This slogan was censured by Glastonbury and Britain's leader Keir Starmer, who described it as "shocking hate speech."

After the event, Bob Vylan was released by its agency United Talent Agency, and the American government revoked the artists' travel documents, forcing the duo to call off a scheduled US and Canada concert series.

Conversation with the Podcaster

In his initial public discussion after the Glastonbury performance, Vylan, whose birth name is Pascal Foster, spoke on a popular podcast. When asked if he would do it all again, he replied:

"Oh yeah. For instance suppose I was to perform at the festival 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 backlash the band faced was "small compared to what people in Gaza are experiencing."

Regarding the Chant's Importance

"I don't want to exaggerate the importance of the slogan," he continued. "It isn't what I'm trying to do, but if I have their support, these are the people that I'm doing it for, they're the individuals that I'm speaking up for, then what is there to feel sorry about? Well, because I've upset some rightwing official or some conservative news outlet?"

Unexpected Response and Broadcaster Feedback

This artist claimed he was surprised by the outcry sparked 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 later found that the network's broadcast of the show breached content standards in regard to harm and offence.

Vylan told the host there was no sign of a controversy in the immediate aftermath: "It didn't feel like we left stage, and everybody was like [shocked]. It's just normal. We come off stage. It's normal. No one suspected anything. Nobody. Including staff at the BBC were like 'That was fantastic! We enjoyed that!'"

Reply to Blur Frontman

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

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

"I just want to say that labeling it as a 'spectacular misfire' suggests that somehow the politics of the duo or our position on Palestine's freedom is not thought out," he stated.

"I strongly object with the phrase 'marching' being used because it's only used around the Nazis," he continued. "Precisely. And for him to use that wording, I think is offensive. I think his response was appalling."

Meaning Behind the Slogan

After asked what he meant by the chant "Death to the IDF," the artist said the chant itself was "insignificant."

"What is important is the situation that persist to allow that chant to even take place on that stage. And I mean, the circumstances that exist in Palestine. In which the local population are being killed at an alarming rate. Who cares 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 play music. I am a songwriter. 'Death, Death to IDF' rhymes. Ideal slogan."

Denial of Antisemitism Claims

The musician also denied assertions from the Community Security Trust, a monitoring and Jewish community safety organisation, that their performance contributed to a spike in antisemitic events reported later.

"I believe I have caused an unsafe environment for the Jewish people. If there were large numbers of individuals acting and going like 'We made me do this'. I might go, oh, I've had a bad impact here," he commented.

Comparison with Other Bands

As Vylan mentioned he felt the duo had been criticised more severely than others for voicing views about the conflict, the host referenced the Irish band another band, who have also encountered criticism for their method to pro-Palestine messaging.

"That's a notable point," he said, "because as with everything race becomes a part in that we are an easier target, no pun intended, than they are because we are already the opponent."