Bobby Vylan's Position on Festival Israel Defense Forces Protest: "No Regrets"

Punk duo lead singer of Bob Vylan has stated he is "not regretful" about his "death, death to the IDF" act at the festival and declared he would "repeat it tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

Controversial Chant and Official Reactions

This vocal music pair sparked significant debate when they led audience calls of "death, death to the IDF," pointing to the Israel Defense Forces, during their summer set. This chant was condemned by Glastonbury and UK Prime Minister the prime minister, who described it as "shocking hate speech."

After the incident, Bob Vylan was dropped by its agency United Talent Agency, and the American government revoked the members' visas, forcing them to call off a planned North American concert series.

Conversation with Louis Theroux

In his first interview after the festival performance, the musician, whose birth name is Pascal Foster, spoke on The Louis Theroux Podcast. After questioned if he would do it all again, he replied:

"Oh yeah. For instance suppose I was to perform at Glastonbury again tomorrow, yes 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 faced was "small compared to what individuals in Gaza are experiencing."

On the Protest's Significance

"I aim not to overstate the significance of the slogan," he elaborated. "It isn't what I'm attempting to do, but since I have the Palestinian people's backing, they're the individuals that I'm doing it for, they're the individuals that I'm speaking up for, then what is there to regret? Oh, because I've upset some rightwing official or some rightwing media?"

Surprising Reaction and BBC Comments

This musician claimed he was taken aback by the outcry sparked by the chant, and stated that staff of BBC staff at Glastonbury told him on the same day that the performance was "fantastic."

However, the corporation's executive complaints unit later found that the network's airing of the show violated content guidelines in relation to offense and hurt.

He informed the host there was no sign of a controversy in the immediate aftermath: "It didn't feel like we came off stage, and everyone was like [gasps]. It's just normal. We come off stage. It's normal. No one thought anything. Not a soul. Even staff at the broadcaster were like 'That was fantastic! We loved 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 characterized him as "marching in tennis gear."

Albarn's reaction was "letdown" and "showed no self-awareness," Vylan said.

"I need to say that categorising it as a 'huge mistake' implies that somehow the views of the duo or our stance on Palestine's freedom is unplanned," he stated.

"I strongly object with the term 'marching' being used because it's typically associated around Nazi Germany," he continued. "Precisely. And for him to use that language, I think is offensive. I think his answer was disgusting."

Intent Behind the Chant

When questioned what he intended by the chant "Death to the IDF," Vylan said the slogan itself was "insignificant."

"The key issue is the situation that exist to allow that chant to even occur on that platform. And I mean, the conditions that exist in the region. Where the Palestinian population are being killed at an alarming rate. Who cares about the chant?" he stated.

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

Rejection of Hate Speech Claims

Vylan also denied assertions from the CST, a watchdog and Jewish safety organisation, that their performance contributed to a spike in anti-Jewish events recorded later.

"I believe I have created an unsafe environment for the Jewish people. Suppose there were large numbers of individuals acting and going like 'We made me do this'. I could go, oof, I've had a bad effect here," he said.

Contrast with Different Artists

As Vylan said he thought the duo had been criticised more severely than different artists for voicing views about the conflict, Theroux brought up the Irish band Kneecap, who have also faced backlash for their method to pro-Palestinian messaging.

"That's a notable point," Vylan responded, "because as with everything ethnicity comes to play a factor in that we are an easier villain, seriously, than others are because we are already the enemy."

Shelley English
Shelley English

A passionate traveler and writer with over a decade of experience documenting unique cultural encounters worldwide.