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Punk duo lead singer Bobby Vylan has expressed he is "without regret" about his "anti-IDF chant" act at Glastonbury and declared he would "repeat it tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

Controversial Exclamation and Political Reactions

The outspoken music duo sparked widespread debate when they led crowd calls of "death, death to the IDF," pointing to the IDF, during their June performance. The chant was condemned by Glastonbury and UK Prime Minister the prime minister, who labeled it as "shocking hate speech."

After the incident, Bob Vylan was dropped by its agency UTA, and the US government cancelled the members' visas, forcing the duo to cancel a scheduled US and Canada concert series.

Conversation with the Podcaster

In his first interview since the festival performance, Vylan, using his birth name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, spoke on a popular podcast. After asked if he would repeat his actions, he replied:

"Absolutely. Like what if I was to perform at Glastonbury again tomorrow, definitely I would repeat it. I'm not regretful of it. I'd do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

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

On the Protest's Importance

"I aim not to overstate the importance of the slogan," he continued. "That's not what I'm trying to do, but if I have the Palestinian people's support, they're the people that I'm doing it for, these are the people that I'm speaking up for, then what is there to regret? Oh, because I've angered some rightwing official or some conservative media?"

Unexpected Reaction and BBC Comments

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

Yet, the broadcaster's executive complaints unit subsequently determined that the network's broadcast of the performance violated content guidelines in regard to harm and offence.

Vylan informed the host there was no indication of a controversy in the moment: "It wasn't like we came off stage, and everyone was like [shocked]. It felt normal. We leave stage. It was normal. Nobody thought anything. Nobody. Even staff at the broadcaster were like 'That was fantastic! We loved that!'"

Response to Damon Albarn

Vylan also hit back at Damon Albarn, who labeled the chant "a major misstep I've witnessed in my life" and characterized Vylan as "marching in tennis gear."

His reaction was "disappointing" and "showed no self-awareness," he said.

"I just want to say that labeling it as a 'spectacular misfire' suggests that in some way the politics of the band or our stance on Palestine's freedom is not thought out," he stated.

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

Meaning Behind the Slogan

When asked what he meant by the phrase "Death to the IDF," the artist clarified the chant itself was "unimportant."

"What is important is the conditions that exist to allow that protest to even occur on that stage. And I mean, the circumstances that exist in the region. In which the Palestinian population are being killed at an disturbing rate. Who cares about the slogan?" he said.

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

Rejection of Antisemitism Claims

The musician also denied claims from the Community Security Trust, a watchdog and Jewish community safety organisation, that their performance contributed to a rise in anti-Jewish incidents recorded later.

"I believe I have caused an unsafe environment for the Jewish community. Suppose there were large numbers of people going out and going like 'We made me do this'. I could go, oh, I've had a negative effect here," he commented.

Comparison with Other Artists

As Vylan said he thought the band had been criticised more severely than different artists for speaking about the situation, the host brought up the Ireland-based band Kneecap, who have likewise encountered criticism for their method to pro-Palestinian advocacy.

"That's a notable point," Vylan said, "since as with all things ethnicity comes to play a factor in that we are an more convenient target, seriously, than they are because we are inherently the opponent."