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The lead singer Bobby Vylan has expressed he is "not regretful" about his "anti-IDF chant" performance at Glastonbury and declared he would "repeat it tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

Disputed Chant and Official Responses

This outspoken punk pair sparked widespread controversy when they initiated crowd chants of "down with the IDF," pointing to the IDF, during their summer set. This slogan was censured by festival organizers and Britain's leader the prime minister, who described it as "appalling hate speech."

Following the event, the band was dropped by its agency UTA, and the US state department cancelled the artists' travel documents, compelling the duo to call off a scheduled US and Canada tour.

Conversation with the Podcaster

In his first public discussion since the festival show, the musician, using his real name is Pascal Foster, conversed on The Louis Theroux Podcast. After asked if he would repeat his actions, he replied:

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

The artist added that the criticism the duo encountered was "minimal compared to what people in Palestine are going through."

On the Chant's Importance

"I don't want to exaggerate the significance of the chant," he continued. "That's not what I'm attempting to do, but since I have their backing, these are the individuals that I'm advocating for, these are the people that I'm speaking up for, then what is there to regret? Well, because I've upset some conservative official or some rightwing news outlet?"

Surprising Reaction and Broadcaster Comments

This musician said he was surprised by the outcry sparked by the exclamation, and asserted that members of BBC employees at the event told him on the same day that the set was "fantastic."

Yet, the broadcaster's executive complaints unit subsequently found that the network's broadcast of the performance breached editorial guidelines in regard to harm and hurt.

Vylan informed Theroux there was no sign of a controversy in the moment: "It didn't feel like we came off stage, and everyone was like [gasps]. It's just normal. We come off stage. It was normal. Nobody suspected anything. Nobody. Including crew at the broadcaster were like 'It was fantastic! We loved that!'"

Response to Damon Albarn

Vylan also hit back at Damon Albarn, who called the chant "one of the most spectacular misfires I've witnessed in my life" and characterized Vylan as "goose-stepping in tennis gear."

Albarn's comment was "disappointing" and "lacked self-awareness," Vylan said.

"I just want to say that labeling it as a 'huge mistake' suggests that in some way the views of the band or our stance on Palestinian liberation is unplanned," he stated.

"I strongly object with the term 'goose-stepping' being used because it's typically associated around Nazi Germany," he added. "That's it. And for him to use that language, I think is disgusting. I think his answer was disgusting."

Meaning Behind the Slogan

When questioned what he intended by the phrase "Down with the IDF," the artist said the chant itself was "unimportant."

"The key issue is the conditions that persist to permit that protest to even occur on that platform. And I mean, the circumstances that exist in the region. In which the Palestinian people are being killed at an alarming rate. What matters about the slogan?" he said.

"Death to the IDF rhymes," he noted: "'End, End the IDF does not rhyme, wouldn't have caught on, right? … We are there to perform. We are there to sing songs. I am a lyricist. 'The chant' rhymes. Perfect slogan."

Rejection of Hate Speech Claims

Vylan also denied claims from the Community Security Trust, a monitoring and Jewish safety group, that their set led to a spike in antisemitic events reported later.

"I believe I have created an unsafe atmosphere for the Jewish people. If there were many individuals of people acting and going like 'We made me do this'. I could go, oof, I've had a negative impact here," he commented.

Contrast with Different Bands

When Vylan mentioned he felt the duo had been criticised more severely than different artists for speaking about the conflict, the host referenced the Irish group Kneecap, who have likewise faced criticism for their method to pro-Palestinian advocacy.

"That's a notable point," Vylan said, "since as with everything ethnicity becomes a part in that we are an more convenient villain, seriously, than others are because we are inherently the opponent."