🔗 Share this article

Punk duo frontman Bobby Vylan has expressed he is "not regretful" about his "death, death to the IDF" performance at the festival and declared he would "repeat it tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

Controversial Exclamation and Official Reactions

This outspoken music pair sparked widespread debate when they led audience chants of "down with the IDF," pointing to the IDF, during their summer performance. The chant was condemned by Glastonbury and UK Prime Minister the prime minister, who described it as "shocking hate speech."

After the incident, the band was released by its representation UTA, and the US state department revoked the artists' visas, forcing them to call off a scheduled US and Canada tour.

Conversation with Louis Theroux

During his initial interview after the Glastonbury show, Vylan, whose real name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, conversed on a popular podcast. After asked if he would repeat his actions, he responded:

"Oh yeah. Like suppose I was to go on the festival again tomorrow, yes I would repeat it. I'm not regretful of it. I'd say it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

The artist noted that the criticism the duo faced was "small compared to what individuals in Gaza are going through."

Regarding the Chant's Importance

"I don't want to exaggerate the importance of the chant," he continued. "That's not what I'm trying to do, but since I have the Palestinian people's backing, they're the people that I'm advocating for, these are the people that I'm being vocal for, then what is there to regret? Well, because I've upset some rightwing official or some conservative media?"

Unexpected Response and BBC Comments

The musician said he was surprised by the outcry triggered by the chant, and stated that staff of BBC staff at Glastonbury told him on the same day that the performance was "fantastic."

Yet, the broadcaster's ECU later determined that the BBC's broadcast of the show breached content standards in regard to offense and hurt.

He told the host there was no sign of a controversy in the immediate aftermath: "It wasn't like we came off stage, and everyone was like [gasps]. It felt normal. We come off stage. It's normal. Nobody thought anything. Nobody. Including staff at the broadcaster were like 'It was fantastic! We loved that!'"

Response to Blur Frontman

Vylan also responded at Damon Albarn, who called the protest "a major misstep I've seen in my life" and described Vylan as "goose-stepping in tennis gear."

Albarn's reaction was "disappointing" and "lacked self-awareness," he remarked.

"I just want to say that categorising it as a 'spectacular misfire' suggests that somehow the views of the duo or our stance on Palestine's freedom is unplanned," he stated.

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

Intent Behind the Slogan

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

"The key issue is the conditions that exist to allow that chant to even occur on that stage. And I mean, the circumstances that are present in Palestine. Where the local population are being slain at an alarming rate. Who cares about the chant?" he said.

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

Rejection of Hate Speech Claims

The musician also rejected assertions from the Community Security Trust, a monitoring and Jewish community safety organisation, that their performance led to a spike in antisemitic incidents reported later.

"I believe I have created an unsafe environment for the Jewish community. Suppose there were many individuals of people acting and saying 'Bob Vylan made me do this'. I might go, oof, I've had a negative impact here," he commented.

Comparison with Other Bands

As Vylan mentioned he thought the duo had been targeted more severely than different artists for speaking about the conflict, the host referenced the Irish group Kneecap, who have likewise encountered backlash for their approach to pro-Palestine messaging.

"That's an interesting one," Vylan said, "since as with all things ethnicity becomes a part in that we are an easier target, seriously, than they are because we are inherently the enemy."