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Punk duo frontman Bobby Vylan has expressed he is "without regret" about his "death, death to the IDF" act at Glastonbury and asserted he would "repeat it tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

Disputed Chant and Political Reactions

The outspoken punk duo ignited widespread debate when they initiated crowd calls of "death, death to the IDF," pointing to the IDF, during their June performance. The slogan was condemned by festival organizers and Britain's leader Keir Starmer, who labeled it as "appalling hate speech."

After the incident, the band was dropped by its agency United Talent Agency, and the American state department revoked the members' visas, forcing the duo to cancel a planned North American concert series.

Interview with the Podcaster

During his first public discussion since the Glastonbury show, Vylan, whose birth name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, conversed on a popular podcast. When asked if he would repeat his actions, he responded:

"Absolutely. For instance suppose I was to go on Glastonbury again tomorrow, definitely I would repeat it. I'm not regretful of it. I'd say it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

He added that the criticism the duo encountered was "minimal compared to what people in Gaza are experiencing."

On the Protest's Significance

"I don't want to overstate the significance of the slogan," he continued. "That's not what I'm trying to do, but since I have the Palestinian people's support, these are the individuals that I'm doing it for, these are the people that I'm speaking up for, then what is there to regret? Oh, because I've upset some rightwing politician or some conservative media?"

Surprising Reaction and BBC Comments

The artist claimed he was taken aback by the uproar triggered by the chant, and asserted that staff of the broadcaster staff at Glastonbury told him on the same day that the set was "fantastic."

However, the broadcaster's ECU subsequently found that the BBC's airing of the performance violated content guidelines in relation to offense and hurt.

Vylan told the host there was no sign of a controversy in the moment: "It wasn't like we came off stage, and everybody was like [gasps]. It felt normal. We leave stage. It was normal. Nobody suspected anything. Not a soul. Even staff at the broadcaster were like 'It was fantastic! We loved that!'"

Reply to Damon Albarn

The musician also hit back at Damon Albarn, who called the chant "one of the most spectacular misfires I've witnessed in my life" and described him as "goose-stepping in sport gear."

His reaction was "disappointing" and "showed no self-awareness," Vylan said.

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

"I strongly object with the term 'marching' being used because it's typically associated around Nazi Germany," he continued. "Precisely. And for him to use that wording, I think is offensive. I think his answer was disgusting."

Meaning Behind the Slogan

When asked what he intended by the phrase "Death to the IDF," the artist said the slogan itself was "insignificant."

"The key issue is the conditions that persist to allow that protest to even occur on that platform. And I mean, the circumstances that are present in the region. Where the Palestinian population are being slain at an alarming rate. What matters about the slogan?" he stated.

"Death to the IDF 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. 'Death, Death to IDF' rhymes. Ideal chant."

Rejection of Hate Speech Allegations

The musician also rejected claims from the CST, a watchdog and Jewish community safety organisation, that their set led to a spike in antisemitic incidents recorded later.

"I believe I have created an hostile atmosphere for the Jewish community. Suppose there were large numbers of people acting and saying 'We made me do this'. I might go, oh, I've had a bad effect here," he commented.

Comparison with Different Bands

As Vylan said he felt the duo had been criticised more heavily than different artists for speaking about the situation, the host brought up the Irish group another band, who have also encountered criticism for their approach to pro-Palestine messaging.

"That's a notable point," he said, "because as with all things race becomes a factor in that we are an more convenient target, no pun intended, than they are because we are already the opponent."