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The frontman Bobby Vylan has expressed he is "without regret" about his "anti-IDF chant" act at the festival and declared he would "repeat it tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

Controversial Chant and Political Reactions

This outspoken music pair ignited widespread debate when they initiated audience calls of "down with the IDF," pointing to the Israel Defense Forces, during their June set. This chant was censured by festival organizers and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who labeled it as "shocking hate speech."

After the incident, the band was released by its agency UTA, and the American state department cancelled the members' visas, compelling them to call off a scheduled North American tour.

Conversation with Louis Theroux

During his initial interview since the Glastonbury performance, Vylan, whose birth name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, spoke on The Louis Theroux Podcast. After questioned if he would repeat his actions, he replied:

"Oh yeah. For instance what if I was to go on Glastonbury again tomorrow, definitely I would do it again. I'm without regret of it. I'd say it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

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

On the Protest's Significance

"I don't want to overstate the importance of the chant," he elaborated. "That's not what I'm trying to do, but since I have their backing, these are the individuals that I'm doing it for, they're the people that I'm being vocal for, then what is there to feel sorry about? Well, because I've angered some rightwing politician or some conservative news outlet?"

Surprising Reaction and Broadcaster Feedback

This artist said he was surprised by the outcry sparked by the exclamation, and asserted that staff of BBC staff at Glastonbury told him on the same day that the set was "excellent."

Yet, the corporation's ECU later found that the BBC's broadcast of the performance breached editorial guidelines in relation to offense and offence.

He told Theroux there was no indication of a dispute in the immediate aftermath: "It didn't feel like we came off stage, and everybody was like [gasps]. It felt normal. We come off stage. It's normal. No one suspected anything. Not a soul. Even staff 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 seen in my life" and characterized him as "marching in sport gear."

His reaction was "letdown" and "lacked self-awareness," Vylan said.

"I just want to say that categorising it as a 'spectacular misfire' suggests that in some way the views of the band or our stance 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 added. "That's it. And for him to use that wording, I think is offensive. I think his answer was appalling."

Intent Behind the Slogan

After asked what he meant by the chant "Death to the IDF," Vylan clarified the chant itself was "insignificant."

"What is important is the situation that persist to allow that chant to even take place on that platform. And I mean, the circumstances that exist in Palestine. In which the Palestinian population are being killed at an alarming rate. What matters about the slogan?" he said.

"The phrase rhymes," he added: "'End, End the IDF does not rhyme, wouldn't have caught on, right? … We are there to perform. We are there to sing songs. I am a songwriter. 'Death, Death to IDF' rhymes. Perfect slogan."

Denial of Hate Speech Claims

Vylan also rejected claims from the Community Security Trust, a watchdog and Jewish community safety group, that their set led to a rise in antisemitic incidents recorded two days.

"I believe I have created an unsafe atmosphere for the Jewish people. Suppose there were many individuals of people acting and going like 'We made me do this'. I could go, oh, I've had a negative effect here," he commented.

Contrast with Other Bands

When Vylan said he thought the duo had been targeted more heavily than different artists for speaking about the conflict, Theroux brought up the Irish group Kneecap, who have likewise encountered backlash for their method to pro-Palestine messaging.

"That's a notable point," Vylan said, "because as with all things race comes to play a part in that we are an more convenient target, seriously, than they are because we are already the enemy."