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

Disputed Exclamation and Official Reactions

The vocal punk pair ignited widespread debate when they led audience calls of "down with the IDF," referring to the Israel Defense Forces, during their summer set. This chant was censured by Glastonbury and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who labeled it as "shocking hate speech."

After the incident, Bob Vylan was released by its agency UTA, and the US government cancelled the members' visas, forcing them to call off a planned North American concert series.

Interview with the Podcaster

In his first interview after the festival performance, Vylan, using his real name is Pascal Foster, conversed on The Louis Theroux Podcast. After questioned if he would do it all again, he responded:

"Absolutely. Like what if I was to go on the festival again tomorrow, definitely I would do it again. I'm without regret of it. I'd say it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

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

Regarding the Chant's Significance

"I aim not to exaggerate the importance of the chant," he continued. "It isn't what I'm attempting to do, but if I have their backing, these are the people that I'm advocating for, they're the people that I'm speaking up for, then what is there to regret? Oh, because I've angered some conservative official or some rightwing news outlet?"

Unexpected Response and BBC Feedback

This musician claimed he was taken aback by the uproar triggered by the chant, and asserted that staff of the broadcaster employees at the event told him on the day that the performance was "fantastic."

Yet, the corporation's executive complaints unit subsequently determined that the BBC's broadcast of the performance violated editorial guidelines in regard to offense and hurt.

Vylan told the host there was no sign of a controversy in the moment: "It wasn't like we came off stage, and everybody was like [gasps]. It felt normal. We come off stage. It's normal. Nobody thought anything. Not a soul. Even staff at the broadcaster were like 'It was fantastic! We enjoyed that!'"

Response to Blur Frontman

Vylan also hit back at the Blur singer, who labeled the chant "a major misstep I've seen in my life" and characterized him as "marching in sport gear."

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

"I need to say that labeling it as a 'huge mistake' implies that in some way the views of the band or our position on Palestinian liberation is unplanned," he stated.

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

Meaning Behind the Slogan

After questioned what he meant by the phrase "Down with the IDF," Vylan said the chant itself was "unimportant."

"The key issue is the conditions that persist to allow that protest to even take place on that platform. And I mean, the circumstances that exist in Palestine. Where the local people are being killed 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 entertain. We are there to play music. I am a songwriter. 'Death, Death to IDF' rhymes. Perfect slogan."

Denial of Hate Speech Allegations

The musician also denied assertions from the Community Security Trust, a monitoring and Jewish community safety group, that their performance led to a spike in antisemitic incidents recorded two days.

"I don't think I have caused an hostile atmosphere for the Jewish people. Suppose there were many individuals of people going out and saying 'We made me do this'. I might go, oh, I've had a negative impact here," he commented.

Comparison with Different Bands

As Vylan mentioned he felt the duo had been targeted more severely than different artists for speaking about the situation, Theroux brought up the Ireland-based group Kneecap, who have likewise faced backlash for their approach to pro-Palestinian advocacy.

"That's an interesting one," Vylan said, "since as with everything ethnicity becomes a factor in that we are an easier target, no pun intended, than they are because we are already the opponent."