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

Disputed Chant and Official Responses

The outspoken punk pair sparked significant debate when they led crowd chants of "down with the IDF," pointing to the Israel Defense Forces, during their June performance. This slogan was censured by festival organizers and Britain's leader Keir Starmer, who labeled it as "appalling hate speech."

After the event, the band was released by its agency UTA, and the American state department cancelled the members' travel documents, forcing them to call off a scheduled North American concert series.

Conversation with the Podcaster

In his initial interview after the festival performance, the musician, using his real name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, spoke on The Louis Theroux Podcast. After questioned if he would repeat his actions, he responded:

"Absolutely. Like 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 backlash the duo faced was "minimal compared to what people in Gaza are going through."

Regarding the Chant's Importance

"I don't want 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 support, these are the people that I'm doing it for, these are the people that I'm speaking up for, then what is there to feel sorry about? Oh, because I've angered some rightwing official or some conservative media?"

Surprising Response and Broadcaster Comments

The musician said he was taken aback by the uproar sparked by the chant, and asserted that staff of the broadcaster employees at Glastonbury told him on the same day that the set was "excellent."

Yet, the broadcaster's executive complaints unit subsequently determined that the BBC's broadcast of the show breached editorial standards in regard to harm and hurt.

Vylan told the host there was no indication of a controversy in the moment: "It wasn't like we came off stage, and everyone was like [shocked]. It's just normal. We leave stage. It was normal. No one suspected anything. Nobody. Including crew at the broadcaster were like 'It was fantastic! We enjoyed that!'"

Reply to Damon Albarn

The musician also responded at the Blur singer, who called the protest "a major misstep I've seen in my life" and described him as "marching in tennis gear."

Albarn's reaction was "letdown" and "showed no self-awareness," Vylan said.

"I need to say that labeling it as a 'spectacular misfire' implies that somehow the views of the duo or our stance on Palestine's freedom is not thought out," he stated.

"I take great issue with the term 'goose-stepping' being used because it's only used around the Nazis," he added. "Precisely. And for him to use that wording, I think is disgusting. I think his response was appalling."

Meaning Behind the Slogan

After questioned what he meant by the chant "Down with the IDF," the artist said the slogan itself was "insignificant."

"What is important is the situation that persist to permit that protest to even take place on that stage. And I mean, the circumstances that are present in the region. In which the Palestinian population are being killed at an alarming rate. What matters about the slogan?" he said.

"The phrase 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 songwriter. 'The chant' rhymes. Perfect chant."

Rejection of Antisemitism Claims

The musician also denied assertions from the Community Security Trust, a monitoring and Jewish community safety group, that their set contributed to a rise in anti-Jewish incidents reported two days.

"I believe I have created an unsafe environment for the Jewish people. Suppose there were many individuals of individuals acting and going like 'We made me do this'. I might go, oof, I've had a negative effect here," he commented.

Contrast with Different Artists

As he said he felt the band had been criticised more severely than different artists for voicing views about the situation, the host referenced the Ireland-based group Kneecap, who have also encountered criticism for their approach to pro-Palestinian advocacy.

"That's an interesting one," he said, "since as with everything race becomes a factor in that we are an easier target, seriously, than others are because we are inherently the enemy."