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

Controversial Exclamation and Political Reactions

The vocal music pair sparked significant debate when they initiated crowd calls of "down with the IDF," pointing to the Israel Defense Forces, during their June set. This chant was condemned by Glastonbury and UK Prime Minister the prime minister, who labeled it as "shocking hate speech."

After the event, Bob Vylan was released by its agency UTA, and the US government cancelled the artists' visas, forcing them to cancel a scheduled North American tour.

Interview with Louis Theroux

In his initial interview since the festival performance, Vylan, whose real name is Pascal Foster, spoke on a popular podcast. When questioned if he would repeat his actions, he responded:

"Oh yeah. For instance suppose I was to go on the festival again tomorrow, definitely I would do it again. I'm not regretful of it. I'd say it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

He added that the criticism the band faced was "minimal compared to what individuals in Gaza are going through."

Regarding the Protest's Significance

"I don't want to overstate the importance of the slogan," 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 doing it for, these are the individuals that I'm being vocal for, then what is there to regret? Well, because I've upset some rightwing official or some conservative news outlet?"

Surprising Response and Broadcaster Comments

The musician claimed he was surprised by the uproar triggered by the chant, and stated that members of the broadcaster employees at the event told him on the same day that the performance was "excellent."

However, the broadcaster's ECU later found that the BBC's broadcast of the performance breached content guidelines in relation to harm and hurt.

Vylan told the host there was no sign of a dispute in the immediate aftermath: "It wasn't like we came off stage, and everyone was like [shocked]. It's just normal. We come off stage. It's normal. Nobody thought anything. Not a soul. Even staff at the broadcaster were like 'That was fantastic! We loved that!'"

Reply to Blur Frontman

Vylan also responded at the Blur singer, who called the protest "one of the most spectacular misfires I've seen in my life" and described Vylan as "marching in tennis gear."

Albarn's comment was "disappointing" and "lacked self-awareness," Vylan remarked.

"I just want to say that labeling it as a 'spectacular misfire' suggests that somehow the views of the band or our stance on Palestine's freedom is not thought out," he explained.

"I take great issue with the phrase 'marching' being used because it's typically associated around the Nazis," he added. "Precisely. And for him to use that wording, I think is disgusting. I think his response was disgusting."

Intent Behind the Chant

When asked what he intended by the chant "Death to the IDF," Vylan clarified the chant itself was "unimportant."

"The key issue is the conditions that persist to allow that chant to even take place on that platform. And I mean, the circumstances that exist in the region. Where the local population are being slain at an disturbing rate. What matters about the chant?" he said.

"Death to the IDF rhymes," he noted: "'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 songwriter. 'Death, Death to IDF' rhymes. Ideal slogan."

Rejection of Hate Speech Claims

The musician also rejected claims from the Community Security Trust, a watchdog and Jewish safety organisation, that their performance led to a rise in anti-Jewish incidents reported later.

"I believe I have caused an unsafe atmosphere for the Jewish people. Suppose there were large numbers of people going out and going like 'We made me do this'. I might go, oof, I've had a negative effect here," he commented.

Contrast with Other Artists

As he mentioned he thought the band had been criticised more heavily than different artists for voicing views about the conflict, the host referenced the Irish group Kneecap, who have also encountered backlash for their approach to pro-Palestinian advocacy.

"That's a notable point," he responded, "because as with everything race comes to play a factor in that we are an easier target, seriously, than they are because we are already the opponent."