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Punk duo frontman of Bob Vylan has stated he is "not regretful" about his "anti-IDF chant" act at the festival and asserted he would "repeat it tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

Disputed Exclamation and Official Responses

The vocal punk duo ignited widespread debate when they initiated crowd chants of "death, death to the IDF," referring to the Israel Defense Forces, during their June set. This chant was condemned by Glastonbury and Britain's leader Keir Starmer, who described it as "appalling hate speech."

Following the event, the band was dropped by its agency United Talent Agency, and the US state department revoked the members' visas, forcing them to call off a scheduled North American concert series.

Interview with the Podcaster

During his initial interview after the festival performance, the musician, whose birth name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, conversed on a popular podcast. When asked if he would repeat his actions, he responded:

"Absolutely. For instance 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 noted that the backlash the duo encountered was "minimal compared to what individuals in Palestine are experiencing."

Regarding the Chant's Importance

"I aim not to overstate the importance of the chant," he elaborated. "It isn't what I'm attempting to do, but if I have their support, these are the people that I'm advocating for, these are the people that I'm being vocal for, then what is there to regret? Oh, because I've angered some conservative politician or some rightwing media?"

Unexpected Reaction and Broadcaster Feedback

The musician claimed he was taken aback by the outcry triggered by the chant, and stated that members of BBC employees at Glastonbury told him on the same day that the performance was "excellent."

However, the broadcaster's executive complaints unit subsequently found that the BBC's airing of the performance breached editorial guidelines in regard to offense and offence.

He told the host there was no indication of a controversy in the immediate aftermath: "It wasn't like we left stage, and everybody was like [gasps]. It felt normal. We come off stage. It's normal. No one suspected anything. Nobody. Even crew at the BBC were like 'It was fantastic! We loved that!'"

Response to Damon Albarn

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

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

"I just want to say that labeling it as a 'huge mistake' suggests that in some way the politics of the band or our position on Palestinian liberation is unplanned," he explained.

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

Intent Behind the Chant

When questioned what he meant by the chant "Death to the IDF," the artist said the chant itself was "insignificant."

"What is important is the conditions that exist to permit that chant to even occur on that stage. And I mean, the conditions that are present in Palestine. In which the local population are being killed at an disturbing rate. Who cares about the slogan?" he said.

"The phrase rhymes," he noted: "Stop the IDF' does not rhyme, wouldn't have spread, right? … We are there to perform. We are there to play music. I am a songwriter. 'Death, Death to IDF' rhymes. Ideal slogan."

Rejection of Hate Speech Claims

Vylan also denied claims from the CST, a monitoring and Jewish safety organisation, that their performance led to a rise in anti-Jewish incidents recorded two days.

"I don't think I have created an unsafe atmosphere for the Jewish people. Suppose there were many individuals of people going out and saying 'Bob Vylan made me do this'. I could go, oh, I've had a negative impact here," he said.

Contrast with Other Bands

As he said he thought the duo had been targeted more heavily than others for speaking about the conflict, the host brought up the Irish band another band, who have also encountered criticism for their method to pro-Palestinian messaging.

"That's an interesting one," Vylan responded, "since as with all things ethnicity becomes a part in that we are an more convenient target, seriously, than others are because we are inherently the opponent."