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The lead singer of Bob Vylan has stated he is "without regret" about his "anti-IDF chant" act at the festival and declared he would "do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

Disputed Exclamation and Official Reactions

The outspoken music pair sparked widespread controversy when they led crowd chants of "death, death to the IDF," referring to the IDF, during their June performance. This chant was condemned by festival organizers and Britain's leader the prime minister, who described it as "appalling hate speech."

Following the event, Bob Vylan was released by its representation United Talent Agency, and the US government cancelled the members' visas, forcing the duo to call off a scheduled US and Canada concert series.

Interview with the Podcaster

In his initial public discussion since the Glastonbury performance, the musician, whose birth name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, conversed on The Louis Theroux Podcast. When asked if he would repeat his actions, he replied:

"Oh yeah. For instance what if I was to perform at Glastonbury again tomorrow, yes I would do it again. I'm not regretful of it. I'd say it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

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

Regarding the Protest's Significance

"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 their support, these are the people that I'm doing it for, these are the individuals that I'm being vocal for, then what is there to regret? Well, because I've upset some conservative politician or some conservative media?"

Surprising Reaction and Broadcaster Feedback

This artist claimed he was surprised by the outcry sparked by the exclamation, and asserted that staff of BBC employees at the event told him on the same day that the performance was "excellent."

Yet, the broadcaster's executive complaints unit later found that the BBC's broadcast of the performance violated content standards in relation to offense and offence.

He told the host there was no indication of a dispute in the immediate aftermath: "It wasn't like we left stage, and everybody was like [gasps]. It's just normal. We come off stage. It was normal. No one suspected anything. Nobody. Including staff at the broadcaster were like 'That was fantastic! We enjoyed that!'"

Response to Blur Frontman

The musician also responded at the Blur singer, who labeled the chant "a major misstep I've seen in my life" and described Vylan as "goose-stepping in sport gear."

His comment was "disappointing" and "showed no self-awareness," Vylan 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 Palestine's freedom is not thought out," he stated.

"I take great issue with the phrase 'marching' being used because it's only used around Nazi Germany," he continued. "Precisely. And for him to use that wording, I think is disgusting. I think his answer was disgusting."

Meaning Behind the Slogan

When asked what he intended by the chant "Death to the IDF," Vylan clarified the chant itself was "insignificant."

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

"Death to the IDF rhymes," he added: "'End, End the IDF does not rhyme, wouldn't have spread, would it? … We are there to perform. We are there to play music. I am a songwriter. 'The chant' rhymes. Perfect slogan."

Denial of Hate Speech Claims

Vylan also rejected assertions from the Community Security Trust, a monitoring and Jewish safety organisation, that their performance contributed to a rise in antisemitic events reported later.

"I don't think I have caused an unsafe atmosphere for the Jewish community. Suppose there were large numbers of people acting and going like 'Bob Vylan made me do this'. I might go, oh, I've had a bad effect here," he said.

Comparison with Other Bands

When he said he felt the band had been criticised more heavily than different artists for speaking about the situation, Theroux referenced the Ireland-based group Kneecap, who have likewise faced backlash for their method to pro-Palestinian messaging.

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