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Punk duo frontman Bobby Vylan has stated he is "without regret" about his "death, death to the IDF" act at the festival and declared he would "repeat it tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

Disputed Exclamation and Political Reactions

This vocal punk duo sparked significant debate when they led audience calls of "death, death to the IDF," pointing to the Israel Defense Forces, during their June performance. The chant was condemned by Glastonbury and Britain's leader the prime minister, who described it as "appalling hate speech."

After the incident, the band was released by its agency United Talent Agency, and the American government revoked the artists' travel documents, forcing the duo to cancel a scheduled North American tour.

Interview with Louis Theroux

In his initial interview since the Glastonbury show, Vylan, whose birth name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, spoke on a popular podcast. After questioned if he would repeat his actions, he replied:

"Oh yeah. 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 do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

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

Regarding the Chant's Significance

"I don't want to exaggerate the importance of the chant," he continued. "It isn't what I'm trying to do, but since I have their support, these are the individuals that I'm doing it for, these are the people that I'm being vocal for, then what is there to regret? Well, because I've upset some rightwing official or some rightwing media?"

Surprising Reaction and Broadcaster Comments

This artist said he was taken aback by the uproar sparked by the chant, and asserted that members of the broadcaster staff at the event told him on the same day that the performance was "excellent."

However, the broadcaster's ECU later found that the network's airing of the performance violated content guidelines in relation to harm and offence.

He informed the host there was no indication of a controversy in the immediate aftermath: "It didn't feel like we left stage, and everyone was like [gasps]. It's just normal. We leave stage. It's normal. No one suspected anything. Not a soul. Including staff at the BBC were like 'It was fantastic! We loved that!'"

Response to Blur Frontman

The musician also responded at Damon Albarn, who called the chant "a major misstep I've witnessed in my life" and characterized Vylan as "goose-stepping in sport gear."

His reaction was "disappointing" and "lacked self-awareness," Vylan said.

"I need to say that labeling it as a 'huge mistake' implies that somehow the views of the duo or our stance on Palestinian liberation is not thought out," he explained.

"I strongly object 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 appalling."

Meaning Behind the Chant

After asked what he intended by the phrase "Death to the IDF," the artist said the chant itself was "unimportant."

"The key issue is the situation that persist to allow that chant to even occur on that stage. And I mean, the circumstances that exist in Palestine. In which the Palestinian people are being slain at an disturbing rate. Who cares about the chant?" he stated.

"Death to the IDF rhymes," he added: "'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 lyricist. 'The chant' rhymes. Perfect slogan."

Rejection of Antisemitism Claims

The musician also rejected claims from the Community Security Trust, a monitoring and Jewish safety group, that their set contributed to a spike in antisemitic incidents reported later.

"I don't think I have caused an unsafe atmosphere for the Jewish community. If there were large numbers of people going out and going like 'We made me do this'. I might go, oh, I've had a negative effect here," he said.

Comparison with Other Artists

When Vylan mentioned he felt the band had been targeted more severely than others for speaking about the conflict, Theroux brought up the Ireland-based band Kneecap, who have also faced criticism for their approach to pro-Palestine advocacy.

"That's an interesting one," he responded, "since as with everything race comes to play a factor in that we are an more convenient villain, seriously, than they are because we are already the enemy."