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Punk duo frontman of Bob Vylan has expressed he is "without regret" about his "anti-IDF chant" act at Glastonbury and declared he would "do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

Controversial Chant and Political Reactions

This vocal music pair ignited significant debate when they led audience calls of "down with the IDF," referring to the IDF, during their June set. The chant was censured by festival organizers and Britain's leader the prime minister, who described it as "appalling hate speech."

After the incident, the band was released by its agency United Talent Agency, and the US state department revoked the artists' visas, forcing the duo to call off a planned North American tour.

Interview with Louis Theroux

In his initial public discussion after the festival performance, Vylan, using his birth name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, conversed on The Louis Theroux Podcast. After asked if he would repeat his actions, he replied:

"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 do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

The artist noted that the backlash the duo faced was "small compared to what individuals in Gaza are experiencing."

On the Protest's Importance

"I don't want to exaggerate the significance of the chant," he continued. "It isn't what I'm attempting to do, but if I have the Palestinian people's backing, they're the people that I'm advocating for, they're the people that I'm being vocal for, then what is there to feel sorry about? Oh, because I've upset some conservative politician or some rightwing news outlet?"

Surprising Reaction and BBC Feedback

The artist said he was surprised by the uproar sparked by the chant, and asserted that staff of BBC employees at Glastonbury told him on the day that the set was "fantastic."

However, the broadcaster's ECU subsequently found that the BBC's airing of the show violated content guidelines in relation to harm and offence.

Vylan informed Theroux there was no sign of a dispute in the moment: "It didn't feel like we left stage, and everyone was like [gasps]. It felt normal. We come off stage. It's normal. Nobody thought anything. Nobody. Including crew at the BBC were like 'That was fantastic! We enjoyed that!'"

Reply to Damon Albarn

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

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

"I need to say that categorising it as a 'spectacular misfire' suggests that somehow the views of the duo or our stance on Palestine's freedom is not thought out," he explained.

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

Intent Behind the Chant

When asked what he meant by the phrase "Down with the IDF," the artist said the slogan itself was "unimportant."

"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 exist in the region. In which the Palestinian population are being slain at an alarming rate. What matters about the slogan?" he said.

"Death to the IDF rhymes," he added: "'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. 'The chant' rhymes. Perfect chant."

Rejection of Antisemitism Claims

The musician also rejected claims from the CST, a monitoring and Jewish community safety group, that their performance contributed to a spike in anti-Jewish incidents reported later.

"I believe I have created an unsafe environment for the Jewish people. If there were large numbers of people going out and going like 'We made me do this'. I might go, oh, I've had a bad impact here," he said.

Comparison with Different Bands

As Vylan mentioned he thought the band had been targeted more heavily than different artists for voicing views about the situation, Theroux brought up the Irish group Kneecap, who have likewise faced backlash for their method to pro-Palestine messaging.

"That's a notable point," Vylan said, "because as with everything race comes to play a factor in that we are an more convenient target, seriously, than they are because we are already the opponent."