🔗 Share this article

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

Controversial Exclamation and Official Reactions

The vocal music pair ignited widespread debate when they initiated crowd calls of "down with the IDF," referring to the IDF, during their summer performance. The slogan was censured by Glastonbury and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who described it as "shocking hate speech."

After the incident, Bob Vylan was dropped by its representation United Talent Agency, and the American state department cancelled the artists' travel documents, compelling them to cancel a scheduled US and Canada concert series.

Interview with the Podcaster

During his initial interview since the Glastonbury performance, the musician, using his real name is Pascal Foster, conversed on The Louis Theroux Podcast. After asked if he would repeat his actions, he responded:

"Absolutely. For instance what if I was to go on Glastonbury again tomorrow, yes I would do it again. I'm not regretful of it. I'd do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

He added that the criticism the duo encountered was "small compared to what individuals in Gaza are going through."

Regarding the Protest's Significance

"I aim not to exaggerate the significance of the chant," he continued. "That's not what I'm trying to do, but since I have their backing, these are the people that I'm advocating for, they're the individuals that I'm being vocal for, then what is there to feel sorry about? Well, because I've upset some rightwing official or some rightwing media?"

Unexpected Response and BBC Feedback

The musician said he was surprised by the outcry triggered by the exclamation, and stated that staff of the broadcaster employees at the event told him on the same day that the set was "excellent."

However, the broadcaster's executive complaints unit later found that the network's airing of the performance breached content standards in regard to offense and hurt.

He told Theroux there was no indication of a dispute in the immediate aftermath: "It didn't feel like we came off stage, and everyone was like [gasps]. It's just normal. We leave stage. It was normal. No one thought anything. Not a soul. Even crew at the BBC were like 'That was fantastic! We enjoyed that!'"

Reply to Blur Frontman

The musician also responded at the Blur singer, who labeled the chant "one of the most spectacular misfires I've witnessed in my life" and characterized him as "goose-stepping in sport gear."

Albarn's comment was "letdown" and "showed no self-awareness," he said.

"I need to say that categorising it as a 'spectacular misfire' implies that in some way the views of the band or our stance on Palestinian liberation is unplanned," he explained.

"I take great issue 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 language, I think is offensive. I think his response was disgusting."

Intent Behind the Chant

When questioned what he intended by the phrase "Down with the IDF," Vylan clarified the slogan itself was "unimportant."

"The key issue is the situation that persist to permit that protest to even occur on that stage. And I mean, the conditions that are present in the region. Where the local people are being killed at an alarming rate. Who cares about the chant?" he said.

"The phrase rhymes," he added: "'End, End the IDF does not rhyme, wouldn't have caught on, would it? … We are there to perform. We are there to play music. I am a songwriter. 'The chant' rhymes. Ideal chant."

Rejection of Hate Speech Claims

The musician also rejected claims from the Community Security Trust, a monitoring and Jewish safety organisation, that their set contributed to a spike in anti-Jewish events reported two days.

"I believe I have created an hostile environment for the Jewish people. Suppose there were large numbers of individuals acting and saying 'We made me do this'. I could go, oof, I've had a negative effect here," he commented.

Contrast with Other Artists

As he said he thought the duo had been targeted more heavily than others for speaking about the situation, the host referenced the Ireland-based group Kneecap, who have likewise encountered backlash for their approach to pro-Palestinian advocacy.

"That's an interesting one," he said, "because as with everything race comes to play a factor in that we are an more convenient target, seriously, than others are because we are inherently the enemy."