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The lead singer of Bob Vylan has expressed he is "without regret" about his "death, death to the IDF" act at the festival and declared he would "do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

Disputed Chant and Political Reactions

This vocal music duo ignited significant debate when they initiated audience calls of "down with the IDF," referring to the IDF, during their June set. This chant was condemned by festival organizers and Britain's leader the prime minister, who labeled it as "shocking hate speech."

After the event, Bob Vylan was dropped by its representation United Talent Agency, and the US state department cancelled the members' visas, compelling the duo to cancel a scheduled US and Canada tour.

Interview with Louis Theroux

During his first public discussion after the Glastonbury performance, Vylan, using his real name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, spoke on The Louis Theroux Podcast. When questioned if he would repeat his actions, he replied:

"Absolutely. For instance what if I was to perform at the festival 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 backlash the duo faced was "minimal compared to what people in Gaza are experiencing."

Regarding the Protest's Significance

"I don't want to overstate the significance of the chant," he elaborated. "That's not what I'm trying to do, but since I have their backing, these are the individuals that I'm doing it for, they're the people that I'm speaking up for, then what is there to regret? Oh, because I've upset some conservative politician or some conservative media?"

Unexpected Reaction and BBC Feedback

This musician claimed he was taken aback by the uproar triggered by the exclamation, and stated that staff of the broadcaster staff at the event told him on the day that the performance was "excellent."

However, the corporation's executive complaints unit subsequently found that the BBC's airing of the performance violated content standards in regard to offense and hurt.

Vylan told the host there was no indication of a dispute in the moment: "It wasn't like we left stage, and everyone was like [shocked]. It's just normal. We leave stage. It was normal. No one suspected anything. Not a soul. Including crew at the broadcaster were like 'It was fantastic! We enjoyed that!'"

Reply to Damon Albarn

Vylan also responded at Damon Albarn, who called the protest "a major misstep I've witnessed in my life" and characterized him as "goose-stepping in tennis gear."

His comment was "letdown" and "lacked self-awareness," Vylan said.

"I need to say that categorising it as a 'spectacular misfire' implies that in some way the politics of the duo or our stance on Palestine's freedom is unplanned," he stated.

"I take great issue with the term 'marching' being used because it's only used around the Nazis," he continued. "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 chant "Down with the IDF," Vylan clarified the slogan itself was "unimportant."

"The key issue is the conditions that exist to allow that protest to even occur on that platform. And I mean, the conditions that are present in Palestine. Where the Palestinian population are being killed at an alarming rate. Who cares about the chant?" he said.

"The phrase rhymes," he added: "'End, End the IDF does not rhyme, wouldn't have caught on, right? … We are there to entertain. We are there to play music. I am a lyricist. 'The chant' rhymes. Ideal chant."

Denial of Antisemitism Allegations

Vylan also denied claims from the CST, a watchdog and Jewish safety group, that their set contributed to a rise in antisemitic incidents recorded two days.

"I don't think I have created an hostile environment for the Jewish people. Suppose there were many individuals of people going out and going like 'Bob Vylan made me do this'. I might go, oh, I've had a bad impact here," he commented.

Contrast with Other Artists

When he mentioned he thought the band had been targeted more severely than different artists for speaking about the situation, Theroux referenced the Irish group Kneecap, who have also encountered criticism for their approach to pro-Palestine advocacy.

"That's a notable point," he said, "since as with everything ethnicity comes to play a part in that we are an more convenient villain, no pun intended, than others are because we are already the enemy."