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The frontman of Bob Vylan has stated 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 Official Reactions

This outspoken music pair ignited significant debate when they initiated audience calls of "down with the IDF," pointing to the IDF, during their summer performance. The slogan was condemned by festival organizers and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who labeled it as "appalling hate speech."

Following the event, the band was released by its representation United Talent Agency, and the US state department cancelled the artists' visas, forcing the duo to call off a scheduled North American tour.

Conversation with Louis Theroux

During his first public discussion since the festival performance, Vylan, using his birth name is Pascal Foster, spoke on The Louis Theroux Podcast. After questioned if he would repeat his actions, he responded:

"Absolutely. For instance what if I was to perform at the festival again tomorrow, definitely I would repeat it. I'm without regret of it. I'd say it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

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

On the Protest's Importance

"I don't want to overstate the importance of the chant," he elaborated. "It isn't what I'm attempting to do, but since I have the Palestinian people's support, they're the people that I'm advocating for, these are the individuals that I'm being vocal for, then what is there to regret? Well, because I've upset some rightwing official or some conservative media?"

Unexpected Response and BBC Feedback

The musician said he was taken aback by the outcry sparked by the exclamation, and asserted that members of BBC staff at the event told him on the same day that the performance was "fantastic."

However, the broadcaster's executive complaints unit subsequently found that the network's airing of the show violated content guidelines in relation to harm and hurt.

He informed Theroux there was no sign of a controversy in the immediate aftermath: "It wasn't like we left stage, and everyone was like [shocked]. It's just normal. We leave stage. It's normal. No one suspected anything. Not a soul. Even staff at the BBC were like 'It was fantastic! We loved that!'"

Reply to Blur Frontman

Vylan also responded at the Blur singer, who labeled the protest "one of the most spectacular misfires I've seen in my life" and described him as "marching in sport gear."

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

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

"I strongly object with the phrase 'goose-stepping' being used because it's only used around Nazi Germany," he continued. "That's it. And for him to use that wording, I think is disgusting. I think his answer was appalling."

Meaning Behind the Chant

After asked what he meant by the chant "Death to the IDF," Vylan said the chant itself was "insignificant."

"The key issue is the situation that persist to allow that protest to even occur on that stage. And I mean, the conditions that are present in Palestine. In which the local population are being killed at an alarming rate. Who cares about the slogan?" he said.

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

Rejection of Antisemitism Claims

The musician also denied claims from the Community Security Trust, a monitoring and Jewish community safety group, that their performance led to a spike in anti-Jewish incidents recorded later.

"I believe I have created an unsafe environment for the Jewish community. Suppose there were large numbers of individuals going out and going like 'Bob Vylan made me do this'. I could go, oh, I've had a negative impact here," he said.

Comparison with Other Artists

When Vylan mentioned he felt the duo had been criticised more severely than others for voicing views about the situation, Theroux brought up the Irish group another band, who have likewise encountered criticism for their method to pro-Palestine advocacy.

"That's an interesting one," he responded, "because as with all things race comes to play a factor in that we are an easier target, seriously, than others are because we are already the opponent."