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Punk duo frontman of Bob Vylan has stated he is "not regretful" about his "anti-IDF chant" performance at Glastonbury and declared he would "repeat it tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

Disputed Chant and Political Responses

The vocal music duo sparked widespread debate when they led crowd chants of "death, death to the IDF," pointing to the Israel Defense Forces, during their June set. This slogan was censured by Glastonbury and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who labeled it as "shocking hate speech."

After the event, the band was dropped by its agency UTA, and the US government cancelled the artists' travel documents, forcing the duo to cancel a scheduled US and Canada tour.

Interview with the Podcaster

In his first public discussion after the Glastonbury performance, the musician, using his real name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, spoke on a popular podcast. After asked if he would repeat his actions, he replied:

"Oh yeah. For instance suppose I was to perform at the festival 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 "small compared to what people in Gaza are going through."

Regarding the Protest's Significance

"I don't want to exaggerate the importance of the slogan," he elaborated. "It isn't 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 regret? Oh, because I've upset some conservative politician or some rightwing media?"

Unexpected Response and BBC Feedback

The musician said he was taken aback by the outcry sparked by the exclamation, and asserted that members of the broadcaster staff at Glastonbury told him on the day that the set was "fantastic."

Yet, the corporation's ECU subsequently determined that the BBC's airing of the show violated content standards in regard to harm and hurt.

Vylan informed the host there was no indication of a dispute in the moment: "It wasn't like we came off stage, and everyone was like [gasps]. It's just normal. We leave stage. It was normal. No one thought anything. Not a soul. Including crew at the BBC were like 'It was fantastic! We loved that!'"

Response to Damon Albarn

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

His reaction was "letdown" and "lacked self-awareness," he said.

"I need to say that categorising it as a 'spectacular misfire' implies that in some way the politics of the duo or our stance on Palestinian liberation is unplanned," he stated.

"I strongly object with the phrase 'goose-stepping' being used because it's only used around Nazi Germany," he continued. "That's it. And for him to use that wording, I think is disgusting. I think his answer was appalling."

Meaning Behind the Chant

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

"What is important is the situation that exist to permit that chant to even occur on that platform. And I mean, the conditions that exist in Palestine. Where the local population are being slain at an disturbing rate. Who cares about the slogan?" he stated.

"Death to the IDF rhymes," he noted: "'End, End the IDF does not rhyme, wouldn't have caught on, would it? … We are there to perform. We are there to sing songs. I am a lyricist. 'The chant' rhymes. Perfect slogan."

Rejection of Antisemitism Allegations

Vylan also denied assertions from the CST, a watchdog and Jewish community safety group, that their performance contributed to a spike in antisemitic events recorded two days.

"I don't think I have created an hostile atmosphere for the Jewish community. If there were many individuals of individuals going out and saying 'We made me do this'. I could go, oh, I've had a negative impact here," he said.

Contrast with Other Artists

When Vylan mentioned he thought the band had been targeted more heavily than different artists for voicing views about the conflict, the host referenced the Irish group Kneecap, who have likewise encountered backlash for their approach to pro-Palestinian advocacy.

"That's a notable point," Vylan responded, "because as with all things race becomes a factor in that we are an easier target, seriously, than they are because we are already the enemy."