🔗 Share this article

The frontman of Bob Vylan has expressed he is "not regretful" about his "anti-IDF chant" performance at Glastonbury and declared he would "do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

Controversial Chant and Official Reactions

This outspoken music duo sparked significant debate when they led crowd chants of "death, death to the IDF," pointing to the Israel Defense Forces, during their June set. The slogan was condemned by Glastonbury and Britain's leader the prime minister, who labeled it as "shocking hate speech."

After the event, the band was dropped by its representation UTA, and the American state department cancelled the members' visas, compelling them to cancel a scheduled US and Canada concert series.

Interview with the Podcaster

In his first public discussion since the Glastonbury performance, the musician, whose birth name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, conversed on a popular podcast. After questioned if he would do it all again, he replied:

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

The artist added that the backlash the duo encountered was "minimal compared to what individuals in Palestine are going through."

On the Chant's Importance

"I aim not to overstate the significance of the chant," he continued. "That's not what I'm trying to do, but if I have their support, these are the individuals 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?"

Surprising Response and BBC Comments

The musician said he was surprised by the uproar triggered by the exclamation, and asserted that members of the broadcaster employees at the event told him on the day that the set was "fantastic."

However, the broadcaster's ECU subsequently determined that the network's airing of the performance breached content guidelines in regard to harm and hurt.

He told the host there was no sign of a dispute in the moment: "It didn't feel like we came off stage, and everyone was like [shocked]. It felt normal. We come off stage. It was normal. Nobody thought anything. Not a soul. Even staff at the broadcaster were like 'It was fantastic! We enjoyed that!'"

Reply to Blur Frontman

The musician also responded at Damon Albarn, who called the chant "one of the most spectacular misfires I've seen in my life" and described Vylan as "goose-stepping in tennis gear."

His comment was "letdown" 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 position on Palestinian liberation is not thought out," he stated.

"I take great issue with the term 'goose-stepping' being used because it's only used around the Nazis," he added. "Precisely. And for him to use that wording, I think is disgusting. I think his response was disgusting."

Meaning Behind the Chant

After questioned what he intended by the chant "Death to the IDF," Vylan said the slogan itself was "unimportant."

"What is important is the situation that exist to allow that protest to even occur on that stage. And I mean, the conditions that exist in the region. In which the Palestinian population are being slain at an disturbing rate. What matters about the chant?" he stated.

"The phrase rhymes," he added: "Stop the IDF' does not rhyme, wouldn't have spread, right? … We are there to entertain. We are there to play music. I am a songwriter. 'The chant' rhymes. Ideal slogan."

Denial of Hate Speech Claims

The musician also rejected assertions from the CST, a monitoring and Jewish safety organisation, that their set led to a spike in anti-Jewish incidents reported two days.

"I don't think I have created an hostile atmosphere for the Jewish community. Suppose there were large numbers of people going out and going like 'We made me do this'. I might go, oof, I've had a bad effect here," he commented.

Contrast with Different Bands

When he mentioned he felt the band had been targeted more heavily than different artists for voicing views about the situation, Theroux brought up the Ireland-based band Kneecap, who have likewise faced backlash for their method to pro-Palestine messaging.

"That's an interesting one," Vylan said, "because as with all things ethnicity comes to play a part in that we are an more convenient villain, no pun intended, than others are because we are inherently the enemy."