Bob Vylan's Stance on Festival IDF Protest: "Zero Regrets"

Punk duo lead singer of Bob Vylan has expressed he is "without regret" about his "death, death to the IDF" act at Glastonbury and declared he would "do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

Disputed Exclamation and Political Reactions

This outspoken punk pair sparked significant debate when they initiated audience calls of "death, death to the IDF," referring to the IDF, during their June set. This slogan was censured by Glastonbury and UK Prime Minister the prime minister, who labeled it as "appalling hate speech."

After the incident, the band was released by its representation UTA, and the American government revoked the members' visas, forcing them to call off a scheduled US and Canada tour.

Interview with Louis Theroux

During his first interview since the Glastonbury performance, Vylan, whose birth name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, spoke on The Louis Theroux Podcast. When asked if he would repeat his actions, he responded:

"Oh yeah. For instance suppose I was to go on the festival again tomorrow, yes I would repeat it. I'm not regretful of it. I'd say it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

He added that the backlash the band encountered was "minimal compared to what individuals in Palestine are experiencing."

On the Protest's Significance

"I aim not to exaggerate the significance of the slogan," he continued. "It isn't what I'm trying to do, but since I have their backing, they're the people that I'm advocating for, these are the individuals that I'm speaking up for, then what is there to regret? Oh, because I've upset some conservative official or some rightwing media?"

Surprising Response and BBC Comments

The musician said he was surprised by the uproar sparked by the exclamation, and stated that members of the broadcaster employees at Glastonbury told him on the same day that the set was "excellent."

Yet, the broadcaster's executive complaints unit later determined that the network's broadcast of the show violated editorial guidelines in relation to harm and hurt.

He told Theroux there was no sign of a dispute in the moment: "It didn't feel like we left stage, and everybody was like [shocked]. It felt normal. We come off stage. It was normal. Nobody thought anything. Not a soul. Even staff at the BBC were like 'It was fantastic! We enjoyed that!'"

Reply to Blur Frontman

Vylan also hit back at Damon Albarn, who called the protest "a major misstep I've seen in my life" and characterized him as "marching in tennis gear."

His reaction was "letdown" and "showed no self-awareness," he remarked.

"I just want to say that categorising it as a 'spectacular misfire' suggests that in some way the views of the duo or our stance on Palestine's freedom is unplanned," he stated.

"I strongly object with the phrase 'goose-stepping' being used because it's typically associated around Nazi Germany," he added. "Precisely. And for him to use that wording, I think is offensive. I think his answer was disgusting."

Intent Behind the Slogan

When questioned what he meant by the phrase "Down with the IDF," Vylan said the slogan itself was "insignificant."

"What is important is the situation that persist to allow that chant to even take place on that platform. And I mean, the conditions that exist in Palestine. In which the Palestinian population are being killed at an alarming rate. What matters about the chant?" he said.

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

Denial of Antisemitism Allegations

The musician also rejected assertions from the CST, a monitoring and Jewish safety group, that their performance contributed to a rise in anti-Jewish events reported two days.

"I don't think I have created an unsafe environment for the Jewish community. If there were large numbers of people going out and saying 'Bob Vylan made me do this'. I could go, oof, I've had a negative effect here," he commented.

Comparison with Other Artists

When Vylan mentioned he thought the band had been targeted more severely than others for speaking about the situation, the host brought up the Irish group another band, who have also encountered backlash for their method to pro-Palestine advocacy.

"That's a notable point," Vylan responded, "because as with everything ethnicity becomes a part in that we are an easier villain, seriously, than they are because we are inherently the opponent."