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Punk duo frontman of Bob Vylan has stated he is "without regret" about his "death, death to the IDF" act at the festival and asserted he would "repeat it tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

Disputed Exclamation and Official Responses

The vocal punk pair ignited widespread controversy when they initiated 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 UK Prime Minister the prime minister, who labeled it as "shocking hate speech."

After the event, Bob Vylan was released by its representation UTA, and the US government revoked the members' travel documents, compelling them to call off a scheduled North American concert series.

Conversation with the Podcaster

In his first public discussion after the festival performance, Vylan, whose birth name is Pascal Foster, spoke on The Louis Theroux Podcast. After questioned if he would repeat his actions, he replied:

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

The artist noted that the backlash the duo faced was "small compared to what people in Gaza are experiencing."

On the Chant's Significance

"I aim not to overstate the importance of the slogan," he continued. "That's not what I'm trying to do, but if I have their backing, they're the individuals that I'm advocating for, they're the people that I'm being vocal for, then what is there to feel sorry about? Well, because I've upset some rightwing politician or some rightwing media?"

Surprising Reaction and BBC Comments

The musician claimed he was taken aback by the uproar sparked by the chant, and asserted that staff of BBC staff at Glastonbury told him on the same day that the set was "fantastic."

Yet, the broadcaster's executive complaints unit subsequently determined that the network's airing of the show breached content standards in regard to offense and offence.

He informed Theroux there was no indication of a dispute in the moment: "It didn't feel like we left stage, and everybody was like [shocked]. It's just normal. We come off stage. It's normal. Nobody thought anything. Not a soul. Even crew at the broadcaster were like 'That was fantastic! We enjoyed that!'"

Response to Blur Frontman

The musician also responded at Damon Albarn, who labeled the protest "one of the most spectacular misfires I've witnessed in my life" and described Vylan as "marching in sport gear."

Albarn's reaction was "disappointing" and "showed no self-awareness," he remarked.

"I need to say that categorising it as a 'spectacular misfire' implies that in some way the politics of the band or our position on Palestinian liberation is not thought out," he explained.

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

Meaning Behind the Chant

After asked what he intended by the phrase "Down with the IDF," the artist said the slogan itself was "insignificant."

"The key issue is the conditions that exist to permit that protest to even occur on that stage. And I mean, the circumstances that are present in Palestine. Where the local people are being killed at an alarming rate. What matters about the slogan?" he stated.

"The phrase rhymes," he noted: "'End, End the IDF does not rhyme, wouldn't have caught on, would it? … We are there to entertain. We are there to play music. I am a songwriter. 'Death, Death to IDF' rhymes. Perfect slogan."

Denial of Hate Speech Claims

Vylan also rejected claims from the Community Security Trust, a watchdog and Jewish safety organisation, that their set led to a spike in antisemitic events reported two days.

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

Contrast with Different Bands

When he mentioned he thought the band had been criticised more severely than others for speaking about the situation, Theroux brought up the Ireland-based band another band, who have also encountered backlash for their method to pro-Palestine messaging.

"That's an interesting one," Vylan said, "since as with everything race becomes a part in that we are an easier target, no pun intended, than others are because we are already the enemy."