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

Controversial Exclamation and Political Responses

The outspoken punk pair ignited widespread controversy when they led crowd calls of "down with the IDF," referring to the Israel Defense Forces, during their June performance. The slogan was condemned by Glastonbury and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who labeled it as "appalling hate speech."

Following the incident, the band was released by its agency United Talent Agency, and the American state department cancelled the artists' travel documents, compelling them to cancel a planned North American concert series.

Conversation with the Podcaster

During his first interview since the festival performance, the musician, using his real name is Pascal Foster, conversed on a popular podcast. When asked if he would do it all again, he responded:

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

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

On the Chant's Importance

"I don't want to overstate the significance of the slogan," he continued. "That's not what I'm attempting to do, but if I have the Palestinian people's support, they're the individuals that I'm advocating for, these are the individuals that I'm being vocal for, then what is there to feel sorry about? Oh, because I've upset some rightwing official or some rightwing news outlet?"

Surprising Reaction and Broadcaster Feedback

This artist said he was surprised by the outcry sparked by the chant, and stated that members of the broadcaster staff at Glastonbury told him on the day that the performance was "excellent."

However, the broadcaster's ECU subsequently found that the BBC's broadcast of the show violated content guidelines in regard to offense and offence.

Vylan told Theroux there was no sign of a dispute in the moment: "It wasn't like we left stage, and everyone was like [shocked]. It's just normal. We come off stage. It was normal. No one thought anything. Nobody. Including staff at the broadcaster were like 'That was fantastic! We loved that!'"

Response to Damon Albarn

Vylan also hit back at Damon Albarn, who labeled the protest "one of the most spectacular misfires I've seen in my life" and described him as "goose-stepping in sport gear."

Albarn's reaction was "disappointing" and "showed no self-awareness," Vylan remarked.

"I just want to say that categorising it as a 'huge mistake' suggests that in some way the views of the duo or our position on Palestinian liberation is unplanned," he stated.

"I strongly object with the term 'marching' being used because it's typically associated around the Nazis," he added. "That's it. And for him to use that language, I think is disgusting. I think his answer was appalling."

Intent Behind the Chant

When asked what he meant by the chant "Down with the IDF," Vylan said the slogan itself was "unimportant."

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

"Death to the IDF rhymes," he added: "'End, End the IDF does not rhyme, wouldn't have spread, right? … We are there to entertain. We are there to sing songs. I am a lyricist. 'The chant' rhymes. Perfect slogan."

Denial of Hate Speech Claims

Vylan also rejected assertions from the CST, a monitoring and Jewish community safety group, that their performance contributed to a spike in antisemitic events recorded two days.

"I don't think I have created an hostile environment for the Jewish community. Suppose there were large numbers of people acting and saying 'We made me do this'. I could go, oof, I've had a negative impact here," he commented.

Contrast with Different Artists

As he said he thought the band had been targeted more severely than different artists for speaking about the conflict, the host referenced the Irish group Kneecap, who have also encountered backlash for their approach to pro-Palestine advocacy.

"That's an interesting one," he said, "because as with all things race becomes a part in that we are an easier target, no pun intended, than others are because we are inherently the enemy."