Bob Vylan Stance on Glastonbury Israel Defense Forces Chant: "Zero Remorse"

Punk duo lead singer of Bob Vylan has expressed he is "not regretful" about his "death, death to the IDF" performance at Glastonbury and asserted he would "do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

Controversial Exclamation and Official Reactions

The vocal music pair sparked significant controversy when they led crowd calls of "death, death to the IDF," referring to the Israel Defense Forces, during their summer performance. The chant was censured by Glastonbury and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who described it as "appalling hate speech."

Following the incident, the band was released by its agency United Talent Agency, and the American government revoked the members' visas, compelling them to cancel a scheduled US and Canada concert series.

Interview with Louis Theroux

During his initial interview since the Glastonbury show, the musician, whose real name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, spoke on a popular podcast. When questioned if he would repeat his actions, he replied:

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

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

Regarding the Chant's Importance

"I don't want to exaggerate the importance of the slogan," he continued. "That's not what I'm attempting to do, but since I have their support, they're the people that I'm doing it for, they're the people that I'm being vocal for, then what is there to regret? Well, because I've upset some conservative official or some conservative media?"

Surprising Reaction and Broadcaster Comments

The 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 subsequently found that the BBC's broadcast of the show breached editorial guidelines in regard to offense and offence.

Vylan informed Theroux there was no indication of a dispute in the immediate aftermath: "It wasn't like we left stage, and everybody was like [gasps]. It felt normal. We come off stage. It was normal. Nobody suspected anything. Nobody. Even staff at the BBC were like 'That was fantastic! We loved that!'"

Reply to Damon Albarn

The musician also responded at Damon Albarn, who labeled the protest "one of the most spectacular misfires I've seen in my life" and described him as "goose-stepping in sport gear."

His reaction was "disappointing" and "lacked self-awareness," he said.

"I just want to say that labeling it as a 'huge mistake' implies that somehow the views of the duo or our stance on Palestinian liberation is not thought out," he explained.

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

Intent Behind the Slogan

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

"The key issue is the conditions that persist to permit that protest to even take place on that platform. And I mean, the conditions that are present in Palestine. Where the local people are being slain at an disturbing rate. Who cares about the slogan?" he said.

"Death to the IDF rhymes," he noted: "Stop 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. Ideal slogan."

Denial of Hate Speech Allegations

The musician also rejected assertions from the CST, a monitoring and Jewish community safety group, that their set led to a rise in anti-Jewish incidents recorded later.

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

Contrast with Different Artists

As he mentioned he thought the band had been criticised more severely than different artists for voicing views about the conflict, Theroux brought up the Ireland-based group another band, who have likewise faced backlash for their method to pro-Palestine messaging.

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