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Punk duo lead singer of Bob Vylan has expressed he is "without regret" about his "anti-IDF chant" act at Glastonbury and asserted he would "do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

Controversial Chant and Official Reactions

This vocal music pair sparked widespread controversy when they initiated audience chants of "down with the IDF," pointing to the Israel Defense Forces, during their June set. The slogan was condemned by Glastonbury and Britain's leader Keir Starmer, who described it as "shocking hate speech."

Following the event, the band was released by its agency United Talent Agency, and the American state department revoked the artists' visas, forcing the duo to call off a scheduled North American concert series.

Conversation with Louis Theroux

In his first interview since the festival performance, the musician, whose real name is Pascal Foster, conversed on a popular podcast. After questioned if he would do it all again, he responded:

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

The artist noted that the criticism the band faced was "minimal compared to what people in Palestine are experiencing."

On the Chant's Significance

"I aim not to overstate the significance of the slogan," he continued. "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 people that I'm speaking up for, then what is there to regret? Oh, because I've angered some conservative official or some rightwing media?"

Unexpected Reaction and BBC Feedback

This musician claimed he was surprised by the uproar triggered by the chant, and stated that staff of the broadcaster employees at the event told him on the same day that the set was "excellent."

Yet, the corporation's ECU later found that the BBC's airing of the show violated editorial guidelines in relation to offense and hurt.

He told the host there was no indication of a dispute in the moment: "It wasn't like we left stage, and everyone was like [gasps]. It's just normal. We come off stage. It's normal. Nobody suspected anything. Nobody. Even staff at the broadcaster were like 'It was fantastic! We enjoyed that!'"

Reply to Damon Albarn

Vylan also responded at Damon Albarn, who called the chant "a major misstep I've seen in my life" and described Vylan as "goose-stepping in sport gear."

His reaction was "letdown" 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 duo or our position on Palestinian liberation is not thought out," he explained.

"I strongly object with the phrase 'goose-stepping' being used because it's typically associated around the Nazis," he continued. "Precisely. And for him to use that wording, I think is offensive. I think his response was appalling."

Intent Behind the Chant

After questioned what he intended by the chant "Death to the IDF," the artist said the chant itself was "insignificant."

"The key issue is the situation that persist to allow that protest to even occur on that platform. And I mean, the circumstances that are present in the region. In which the local people are being slain at an alarming rate. What matters about the chant?" he stated.

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

Rejection of Antisemitism Claims

The musician also denied assertions from the Community Security Trust, a monitoring and Jewish safety organisation, that their performance led to a rise in anti-Jewish incidents recorded two days.

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

Comparison with Different Artists

When he said he thought the band had been targeted more heavily than different artists for speaking about the situation, Theroux referenced the Ireland-based group Kneecap, who have likewise encountered backlash for their method to pro-Palestinian messaging.

"That's a notable point," he said, "since as with everything ethnicity becomes a factor in that we are an easier target, seriously, than others are because we are already the opponent."