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Punk duo lead singer Bobby Vylan has stated he is "not regretful" about his "anti-IDF chant" act at the festival and declared he would "do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

Controversial Exclamation and Political Reactions

This vocal music pair sparked significant controversy when they initiated crowd calls of "down with the IDF," pointing to the Israel Defense Forces, during their June set. This chant was condemned by Glastonbury and UK Prime Minister the prime minister, who described it as "appalling hate speech."

Following the incident, Bob Vylan was dropped by its agency UTA, and the American state department cancelled the members' visas, forcing the duo to call off a scheduled US and Canada concert series.

Interview with Louis Theroux

In his first public discussion since the Glastonbury performance, Vylan, whose birth name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, conversed on The Louis Theroux Podcast. After questioned if he would repeat his actions, he replied:

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

He noted that the backlash the band encountered was "small compared to what people in Palestine are experiencing."

On the Protest's Significance

"I aim not to overstate the significance of the chant," he continued. "That's not what I'm attempting to do, but if I have the Palestinian people's backing, these are the individuals that I'm doing it for, they're the people that I'm being vocal for, then what is there to regret? Oh, because I've angered some rightwing official or some rightwing media?"

Surprising Reaction and BBC Feedback

This musician said he was surprised by the outcry sparked by the exclamation, and asserted that staff of the broadcaster staff at Glastonbury told him on the same day that the set was "fantastic."

However, the broadcaster's ECU subsequently found that the BBC's broadcast of the show breached content standards in regard to harm and offence.

He told the host there was no sign of a dispute in the moment: "It didn't feel like we left stage, and everybody was like [shocked]. It's just normal. We leave stage. It was normal. Nobody suspected anything. Nobody. Even staff at the BBC were like 'It was fantastic! We loved that!'"

Response to Blur Frontman

The musician also hit back at the Blur singer, who called the protest "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 "letdown" and "showed no self-awareness," he remarked.

"I just want to say that categorising it as a 'huge mistake' implies that somehow the views of the band or our stance on Palestine's freedom is unplanned," he explained.

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

Intent Behind the Chant

When questioned what he intended by the phrase "Down with the IDF," Vylan said the slogan itself was "insignificant."

"The key issue is the situation that persist to allow that chant to even occur on that stage. And I mean, the circumstances that exist in the region. Where the Palestinian people are being slain at an alarming rate. Who cares about the chant?" he said.

"The phrase rhymes," he noted: "Stop 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. 'Death, Death to IDF' rhymes. Ideal chant."

Rejection of Antisemitism Claims

Vylan also denied assertions from the CST, a monitoring and Jewish community safety group, that their performance led to a spike in antisemitic incidents recorded later.

"I don't think I have caused an hostile atmosphere for the Jewish people. If there were many individuals of people going out and going like 'We made me do this'. I could go, oof, I've had a negative impact here," he said.

Comparison with Other Bands

When Vylan mentioned he thought the duo had been criticised more severely than others for voicing views about the conflict, the host brought up the Ireland-based group another band, who have likewise encountered backlash for their approach to pro-Palestinian advocacy.

"That's a notable point," Vylan responded, "because as with all things race becomes a part in that we are an more convenient target, no pun intended, than they are because we are already the opponent."