Bob Vylan Position on Festival Israel Defense Forces Chant: "No Remorse"

Punk duo frontman Bobby Vylan has stated he is "not regretful" about his "death, death to the IDF" performance at the festival and asserted he would "repeat it tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

Controversial Chant and Political Reactions

The vocal music duo ignited widespread controversy when they initiated crowd calls of "death, death to the IDF," referring to the Israel Defense Forces, during their June performance. The slogan was censured by Glastonbury and UK Prime Minister the prime minister, who described it as "shocking hate speech."

After the incident, Bob Vylan was dropped by its agency United Talent Agency, and the US state department cancelled the members' travel documents, compelling the duo to cancel a planned US and Canada concert series.

Conversation with the Podcaster

In his initial interview after the Glastonbury performance, Vylan, whose real name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, spoke on a popular podcast. When asked if he would repeat his actions, he replied:

"Absolutely. Like what if I was to go on the festival again tomorrow, yes I would do it again. I'm without regret of it. I'd do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

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

On the Chant's Significance

"I aim not to overstate the importance of the chant," he elaborated. "It isn't what I'm attempting to do, but if I have the Palestinian people's backing, these are the individuals that I'm advocating for, they're the individuals that I'm speaking up for, then what is there to regret? Well, because I've angered some rightwing official or some conservative media?"

Surprising Response and BBC Comments

This artist said he was surprised by the uproar sparked by the exclamation, and stated that members of the broadcaster staff at Glastonbury told him on the day that the performance was "excellent."

Yet, the corporation's ECU later determined that the BBC's broadcast of the performance violated editorial guidelines in relation to harm and offence.

He informed the host there was no sign of a controversy in the moment: "It wasn't like we came off stage, and everybody was like [shocked]. It felt normal. We come off stage. It's normal. No one thought anything. Not a soul. Including staff at the broadcaster were like 'That was fantastic! We loved that!'"

Response to Damon Albarn

Vylan 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 him as "goose-stepping in sport gear."

His comment was "disappointing" and "showed no self-awareness," Vylan remarked.

"I just want to say that labeling it as a 'huge mistake' suggests that somehow the views of the band or our stance on Palestine's freedom is not thought out," he stated.

"I strongly object with the term 'marching' 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."

Intent Behind the Chant

When asked what he meant by the chant "Death to the IDF," the artist clarified the slogan itself was "unimportant."

"What is important is the situation that persist to permit that protest to even take place on that stage. And I mean, the circumstances that are present in Palestine. Where the local population are being slain at an alarming rate. Who cares about the slogan?" he said.

"Death to the IDF rhymes," he added: "Stop the IDF' does not rhyme, wouldn't have spread, would it? … We are there to entertain. We are there to sing songs. I am a songwriter. 'Death, Death to IDF' rhymes. Perfect chant."

Rejection of Antisemitism Allegations

Vylan also denied assertions from the Community Security Trust, a watchdog and Jewish community safety group, that their performance led to a spike in anti-Jewish events reported two days.

"I believe I have caused an hostile environment for the Jewish people. If there were large numbers of people going out and saying 'We made me do this'. I might go, oh, I've had a negative impact here," he said.

Contrast with Other Artists

When he mentioned he felt the duo had been criticised more severely than different artists for voicing views about the situation, the host referenced the Irish band Kneecap, who have also encountered backlash for their method to pro-Palestinian advocacy.

"That's an interesting one," Vylan responded, "because as with everything race comes to play a factor in that we are an easier target, no pun intended, than others are because we are already the opponent."