🔗 Share this article

Punk duo frontman Bobby Vylan has expressed he is "without regret" 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 Responses

This outspoken punk duo ignited widespread controversy when they led crowd chants of "death, death to the IDF," referring to the Israel Defense Forces, during their June performance. This chant was censured by Glastonbury and Britain's leader Keir Starmer, who labeled it as "shocking hate speech."

After the incident, the band was released by its agency UTA, and the US state department revoked the members' visas, forcing them to cancel a planned US and Canada tour.

Interview with the Podcaster

During his initial public discussion since the Glastonbury performance, the musician, whose real name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, spoke on The Louis Theroux Podcast. When questioned if he would repeat his actions, he replied:

"Oh yeah. Like suppose I was to go on Glastonbury again tomorrow, definitely I would repeat it. I'm without regret of it. I'd say it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

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

On the Protest's Significance

"I aim not to exaggerate the significance of the slogan," he elaborated. "It isn't 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 people that I'm speaking up for, then what is there to regret? Well, because I've angered some rightwing official or some rightwing news outlet?"

Surprising Reaction and BBC Comments

This musician said he was surprised by the outcry triggered by the exclamation, and asserted that members of the broadcaster employees at Glastonbury told him on the day that the performance was "excellent."

However, the broadcaster's ECU later determined that the network's broadcast of the performance breached content guidelines in regard to offense and offence.

He informed Theroux there was no sign of a dispute in the immediate aftermath: "It didn't feel like we left stage, and everyone was like [shocked]. It felt normal. We come off stage. It was normal. No one suspected anything. Nobody. Even crew at the BBC were like 'It was fantastic! We enjoyed that!'"

Response to Blur Frontman

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

His comment was "disappointing" and "showed no self-awareness," he said.

"I need to say that labeling it as a 'huge mistake' implies that somehow the politics of the duo or our position on Palestine's freedom is unplanned," he explained.

"I strongly object with the phrase 'goose-stepping' 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 answer was disgusting."

Meaning Behind the Chant

When questioned what he meant by the phrase "Death to the IDF," Vylan said the slogan itself was "unimportant."

"The key issue is the conditions that persist to allow that chant to even take place on that stage. And I mean, the conditions that exist in Palestine. In which the Palestinian people are being slain at an disturbing rate. What matters about the chant?" he stated.

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

Denial of Antisemitism Allegations

Vylan also denied assertions from the CST, a watchdog and Jewish safety group, that their performance led to a spike in anti-Jewish incidents recorded two days.

"I don't think I have caused an unsafe environment for the Jewish community. Suppose there were large numbers of people going out and going like 'We made me do this'. I could go, oh, I've had a bad impact here," he commented.

Comparison with Different Bands

As Vylan said he thought the duo had been targeted more heavily than different artists for speaking about the situation, Theroux referenced the Ireland-based band Kneecap, who have likewise encountered backlash for their method to pro-Palestine messaging.

"That's an interesting one," he responded, "since as with all things ethnicity becomes a factor in that we are an easier villain, seriously, than others are because we are already the enemy."