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The lead singer of Bob Vylan has expressed he is "not regretful" about his "anti-IDF chant" performance at Glastonbury and declared he would "do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

Controversial Chant and Official Reactions

This outspoken music pair ignited widespread controversy when they led crowd chants of "death, death to the IDF," referring to the Israel Defense Forces, during their June set. This slogan was censured by festival organizers and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who labeled it as "appalling hate speech."

Following the incident, Bob Vylan was released by its agency UTA, and the American government cancelled the members' visas, forcing them to call off a scheduled US and Canada concert series.

Interview with Louis Theroux

During his initial public discussion after the festival performance, the musician, using his real name is Pascal Foster, conversed on a popular podcast. When asked if he would repeat his actions, he responded:

"Oh yeah. Like suppose I was to perform at Glastonbury again tomorrow, definitely I would repeat it. I'm not regretful of it. I'd do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

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

Regarding the Protest's Significance

"I don't want to exaggerate the importance of the slogan," he elaborated. "That's not what I'm trying to do, but if I have the Palestinian people's support, they're the individuals that I'm doing it for, these are the individuals that I'm speaking up for, then what is there to feel sorry about? Oh, because I've upset some conservative politician or some rightwing media?"

Unexpected Response and Broadcaster Feedback

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

However, the corporation's ECU later found that the network's airing of the show violated content guidelines in regard to offense and offence.

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

Response to Damon Albarn

Vylan also responded at Damon Albarn, who labeled the chant "one of the most spectacular misfires I've seen in my life" and described him as "marching in sport gear."

His reaction was "disappointing" and "showed no self-awareness," he remarked.

"I need to say that labeling it as a 'huge mistake' implies that in some way the views of the band or our stance on Palestine's freedom is not thought out," he explained.

"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 language, I think is offensive. I think his answer was disgusting."

Intent Behind the Slogan

After asked what he meant by the phrase "Down with the IDF," Vylan clarified the chant itself was "insignificant."

"What is important is the conditions that persist to allow that protest to even take place on that platform. And I mean, the circumstances that exist in Palestine. In which the local population are being slain at an disturbing rate. What matters about the chant?" he said.

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

Rejection of Hate Speech Claims

Vylan also denied assertions from the Community Security Trust, a monitoring and Jewish community safety group, that their set led to a rise in antisemitic incidents reported two days.

"I don't think I have created an unsafe environment for the Jewish community. If 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.

Comparison with Different Bands

When he mentioned he felt the band had been targeted more heavily than others for speaking about the conflict, Theroux brought up the Irish group Kneecap, who have likewise faced criticism for their method to pro-Palestinian advocacy.

"That's a notable point," he responded, "since as with everything ethnicity becomes a factor in that we are an more convenient villain, no pun intended, than others are because we are already the opponent."