Bob Vylan Position on Festival Israel Defense Forces Chant: "No Remorse"

The frontman of Bob Vylan has expressed he is "without regret" about his "anti-IDF chant" act at Glastonbury and declared he would "do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

Controversial Exclamation and Official Reactions

This outspoken music pair ignited significant controversy when they initiated crowd calls of "death, death to the IDF," referring to the IDF, during their summer set. The chant was condemned by festival organizers and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who labeled it as "shocking hate speech."

After the incident, the band was released by its representation UTA, and the American state department revoked the artists' travel documents, compelling them to cancel a scheduled US and Canada concert series.

Conversation with the Podcaster

During his initial public discussion after the Glastonbury performance, the musician, using his birth name is Pascal Foster, conversed on The Louis Theroux Podcast. When questioned if he would do it all again, he replied:

"Absolutely. Like what if I was to perform at Glastonbury again tomorrow, yes 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 duo encountered was "small compared to what individuals in Palestine are going through."

Regarding the Chant's Importance

"I aim not to overstate the significance of the chant," he elaborated. "It isn't what I'm attempting to do, but if I have the Palestinian people's support, they're the people that I'm advocating for, they're the individuals that I'm being vocal for, then what is there to regret? Oh, because I've upset some rightwing official or some rightwing news outlet?"

Surprising Reaction and Broadcaster Comments

This musician claimed he was surprised by the uproar sparked by the exclamation, and asserted that staff of the broadcaster employees at the event told him on the same day that the set was "fantastic."

However, the broadcaster's ECU later determined that the BBC's broadcast of the show violated editorial guidelines in relation to offense and hurt.

He informed Theroux there was no sign of a dispute in the moment: "It didn't feel like we came off stage, and everyone was like [gasps]. It's just normal. We come off stage. It was normal. No one suspected anything. Nobody. Including staff at the BBC were like 'That was fantastic! We loved that!'"

Response to Blur Frontman

Vylan also responded at the Blur singer, who called the protest "a major misstep I've seen in my life" and characterized him as "marching in sport gear."

His reaction was "letdown" and "lacked self-awareness," Vylan remarked.

"I need to say that labeling it as a 'spectacular misfire' suggests that somehow the politics of the band or our position on Palestinian liberation is unplanned," he explained.

"I take great issue with the term 'marching' being used because it's typically associated around the Nazis," he continued. "That's it. And for him to use that language, I think is offensive. I think his answer was disgusting."

Meaning Behind the Chant

After questioned what he meant by the chant "Down with the IDF," the artist clarified the slogan itself was "unimportant."

"What is important is the conditions that persist to permit that chant to even occur on that platform. And I mean, the circumstances that are present in the region. In which the Palestinian people are being killed at an alarming rate. What matters about the chant?" he stated.

"Death to the IDF rhymes," he noted: "Stop the IDF' does not rhyme, wouldn't have caught on, would it? … We are there to perform. We are there to play music. I am a lyricist. 'Death, Death to IDF' rhymes. Perfect slogan."

Denial of Antisemitism Allegations

Vylan also denied claims from the Community Security Trust, a monitoring and Jewish safety organisation, that their set contributed to a spike in antisemitic events recorded later.

"I believe I have created an unsafe atmosphere for the Jewish community. Suppose there were large numbers of people acting and going like 'Bob Vylan made me do this'. I might go, oh, I've had a bad impact here," he commented.

Contrast with Other Bands

As he mentioned he thought the band had been criticised more heavily than others for speaking about the conflict, Theroux brought up the Ireland-based band another band, who have likewise faced backlash for their method to pro-Palestinian advocacy.

"That's a notable point," Vylan said, "because as with everything race becomes a part in that we are an easier villain, seriously, than others are because we are already the enemy."