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The lead singer Bobby Vylan has expressed he is "not regretful" about his "death, death to the IDF" performance at Glastonbury and asserted he would "repeat it tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

Controversial Exclamation and Political Reactions

This outspoken punk pair ignited significant controversy when they initiated crowd calls of "death, death to the IDF," referring to the IDF, during their June set. This chant was condemned by festival organizers and Britain's leader Keir Starmer, who labeled it as "shocking hate speech."

Following the event, Bob Vylan was dropped by its agency UTA, and the US government cancelled the artists' travel documents, forcing them to cancel a scheduled US and Canada tour.

Conversation with Louis Theroux

During his initial public discussion since the festival show, Vylan, using his real name is Pascal Foster, spoke on The Louis Theroux Podcast. When questioned if he would do it all again, he responded:

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

He added that the criticism the band faced was "small compared to what individuals in Palestine are going through."

On the Chant's Significance

"I aim not to exaggerate the significance of the chant," he continued. "It isn't what I'm trying to do, but since I have the Palestinian people's backing, 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 rightwing politician or some conservative news outlet?"

Unexpected Response and Broadcaster Comments

This musician said he was taken aback by the outcry sparked by the chant, and stated that staff of BBC staff at Glastonbury told him on the same day that the performance was "fantastic."

However, the corporation's executive complaints unit subsequently found that the BBC's airing of the performance violated editorial standards in regard to harm and offence.

He informed Theroux there was no indication of a controversy in the moment: "It didn't feel like we left stage, and everybody was like [gasps]. It felt normal. We leave stage. It was normal. No one thought anything. Not a soul. Even crew at the broadcaster were like 'That was fantastic! We loved that!'"

Response to Blur Frontman

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

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

"I just want to say that labeling it as a 'huge mistake' suggests that somehow the politics of the band or our stance on Palestinian liberation is not thought out," he stated.

"I strongly object with the term 'marching' being used because it's typically associated around the Nazis," he added. "That's it. And for him to use that language, I think is disgusting. I think his response was appalling."

Meaning Behind the Slogan

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

"The key issue is the situation that exist to allow that protest to even take place on that stage. And I mean, the conditions that are present in Palestine. Where the Palestinian population are being slain at an alarming rate. Who cares about the slogan?" he said.

"The phrase rhymes," he added: "'End, End the IDF does not rhyme, wouldn't have spread, right? … We are there to entertain. We are there to sing songs. I am a songwriter. 'Death, Death to IDF' rhymes. Ideal chant."

Rejection of Hate Speech Claims

Vylan also denied claims from the CST, a monitoring and Jewish community safety group, that their performance led to a spike in antisemitic incidents recorded later.

"I believe I have created an unsafe atmosphere for the Jewish community. If there were large numbers of people acting and saying 'We made me do this'. I could go, oh, I've had a bad effect here," he said.

Comparison with Different Artists

As Vylan said he felt the duo had been criticised more severely than others for voicing views about the situation, Theroux brought up the Ireland-based group Kneecap, who have also faced criticism for their method to pro-Palestinian advocacy.

"That's a notable point," he responded, "because as with everything ethnicity becomes a part in that we are an more convenient target, seriously, than others are because we are inherently the enemy."