Bob Vylan Stance on Festival IDF Chant: "Zero Regrets"

Punk duo lead singer of Bob Vylan has stated he is "not regretful" about his "death, death to the IDF" performance at Glastonbury and asserted he would "do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

Disputed Chant and Official Reactions

The outspoken music pair sparked significant debate when they initiated audience calls of "down with the IDF," pointing to the Israel Defense Forces, during their summer set. The slogan was condemned by Glastonbury and Britain's leader the prime minister, who described it as "appalling hate speech."

Following the incident, Bob Vylan was dropped by its agency UTA, and the US state department revoked the members' travel documents, compelling the duo to cancel a planned US and Canada concert series.

Conversation with the Podcaster

In his initial public discussion after the festival performance, the musician, using his real name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, conversed on a popular podcast. When questioned if he would do it all again, he replied:

"Oh yeah. Like what if I was to perform at the festival again tomorrow, yes I would do it again. I'm without regret of it. I'd do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

The artist added that the criticism the band faced was "minimal compared to what people in Palestine are experiencing."

On the Chant's Importance

"I aim not to overstate the importance of the slogan," he continued. "That's not what I'm attempting to do, but since I have the Palestinian people's support, these are the individuals that I'm doing it for, they're the individuals that I'm being vocal for, then what is there to feel sorry about? Well, because I've angered some conservative official or some conservative news outlet?"

Unexpected Response and Broadcaster Comments

This musician claimed he was taken aback by the uproar sparked by the exclamation, and asserted that members of the broadcaster employees at Glastonbury told him on the day that the set was "fantastic."

However, the broadcaster's ECU subsequently found that the BBC's broadcast of the performance breached editorial guidelines in relation to harm and hurt.

He informed Theroux there was no sign of a controversy in the immediate aftermath: "It wasn't like we left stage, and everyone was like [shocked]. It felt normal. We come off stage. It was normal. Nobody thought anything. Not a soul. Even staff at the broadcaster were like 'That was fantastic! We enjoyed that!'"

Response to Blur Frontman

Vylan also responded at the Blur singer, who called the protest "one of the most spectacular misfires I've seen in my life" and described him as "goose-stepping in tennis gear."

Albarn's comment was "disappointing" and "showed no self-awareness," he remarked.

"I just want to say that labeling it as a 'huge mistake' suggests that somehow the politics of the duo or our stance on Palestinian liberation is not thought out," he stated.

"I strongly object with the phrase 'marching' being used because it's only used around the Nazis," he added. "Precisely. And for him to use that language, I think is offensive. I think his response was disgusting."

Intent Behind the Slogan

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

"The key issue is the conditions that persist to permit that protest to even occur on that stage. And I mean, the circumstances that exist in the region. In which the local people are being killed at an alarming rate. What matters about the slogan?" he stated.

"The phrase rhymes," he noted: "'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 chant."

Rejection of Antisemitism Claims

Vylan also denied claims from the Community Security Trust, a monitoring and Jewish community safety group, that their performance led to a spike in anti-Jewish incidents recorded two days.

"I don't think I have created an unsafe environment for the Jewish community. If there were large numbers of people going out and saying 'Bob Vylan made me do this'. I might go, oh, I've had a negative impact here," he said.

Comparison with Other Artists

When he mentioned he felt the band had been targeted more severely than others for voicing views about the conflict, Theroux referenced the Ireland-based group Kneecap, who have also encountered backlash for their method to pro-Palestinian messaging.

"That's an interesting one," Vylan said, "because as with all things ethnicity becomes a factor in that we are an easier target, seriously, than they are because we are already the opponent."

Diana Moore
Diana Moore

A digital marketing strategist with over a decade of experience, passionate about helping businesses thrive online through data-driven approaches.