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Punk duo lead singer Bobby Vylan has stated he is "without regret" about his "death, death to the IDF" act at Glastonbury and asserted he would "do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

Controversial Exclamation and Official Reactions

This vocal punk pair ignited widespread debate when they initiated crowd chants of "death, death to the IDF," pointing to the Israel Defense Forces, during their summer performance. The chant was censured by Glastonbury and Britain's leader the prime minister, who described it as "appalling hate speech."

Following the incident, Bob Vylan was released by its agency United Talent Agency, and the US state department cancelled the members' visas, forcing the duo to cancel a planned North American tour.

Conversation with Louis Theroux

During his first interview since the festival show, Vylan, whose birth name is Pascal Foster, conversed on The Louis Theroux Podcast. After asked if he would do it all again, he replied:

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

He added that the criticism the band encountered was "small compared to what people in Gaza are experiencing."

On the Protest's Importance

"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 support, these are the people that I'm doing it for, these are the individuals that I'm speaking up for, then what is there to feel sorry about? Well, because I've upset some conservative official or some conservative news outlet?"

Unexpected Response and Broadcaster Feedback

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

However, the corporation's executive complaints unit subsequently determined that the network's airing of the show violated content guidelines in relation to offense and offence.

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 felt normal. We come off stage. It's normal. Nobody suspected anything. Not a soul. Even crew at the broadcaster 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 characterized him as "goose-stepping in tennis gear."

His comment was "letdown" and "showed no self-awareness," he said.

"I need to say that labeling it as a 'spectacular misfire' implies that somehow the politics of the duo or our position on Palestine's freedom is not thought out," he explained.

"I strongly object with the term 'marching' 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 offensive. I think his answer was appalling."

Meaning Behind the Chant

When questioned what he meant by the phrase "Death to the IDF," Vylan said the slogan itself was "insignificant."

"The key issue is the conditions that exist to permit 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 disturbing rate. What matters about the slogan?" he said.

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

Denial of Hate Speech Allegations

The musician also denied claims from the CST, a monitoring and Jewish safety group, that their set contributed to a rise in antisemitic incidents reported later.

"I believe I have caused an hostile environment for the Jewish people. Suppose there were many individuals of people acting and saying 'We made me do this'. I could go, oh, I've had a bad impact here," he said.

Comparison with Other Bands

As he said he felt the band had been targeted more heavily than different artists for voicing views about the situation, the host referenced the Irish group Kneecap, who have also encountered backlash for their method to pro-Palestine advocacy.

"That's an interesting one," he said, "since as with everything race becomes a factor in that we are an easier villain, seriously, than they are because we are inherently the opponent."