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The lead singer Bobby Vylan has stated he is "not regretful" about his "anti-IDF chant" performance at the festival and declared he would "repeat it tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

Disputed Exclamation and Official Responses

The outspoken punk pair sparked widespread controversy when they initiated crowd calls of "down with the IDF," referring to the Israel Defense Forces, during their summer performance. The chant was condemned by Glastonbury and Britain's leader Keir Starmer, who labeled it as "shocking hate speech."

After the incident, the band was dropped by its representation United Talent Agency, and the American government revoked the artists' visas, forcing the duo to call off a planned US and Canada tour.

Conversation with Louis Theroux

During his initial public discussion after the Glastonbury performance, the musician, whose birth name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, conversed on a popular podcast. After asked if he would do it all again, he replied:

"Oh yeah. Like what if I was to perform at Glastonbury again tomorrow, definitely I would do it again. I'm not regretful of it. I'd do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

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

On the Protest's Importance

"I don't want to overstate the significance of the chant," he elaborated. "That's not what I'm trying to do, but since I have the Palestinian people's support, these are the individuals that I'm doing it for, they're the people that I'm being vocal for, then what is there to feel sorry about? Well, because I've angered some rightwing official or some rightwing media?"

Surprising Response and Broadcaster Comments

The artist said he was surprised by the uproar sparked by the chant, and asserted that members of BBC employees at the event told him on the day that the performance was "excellent."

However, the corporation's executive complaints unit later found that the network's broadcast of the performance violated editorial standards in regard to harm and offence.

He informed the host there was no sign of a dispute in the moment: "It wasn't like we left stage, and everyone was like [gasps]. It's just normal. We leave stage. It was normal. No one suspected anything. Nobody. Even crew at the BBC were like 'It was fantastic! We loved that!'"

Reply to Damon Albarn

Vylan also hit back at the Blur singer, who called the protest "a major misstep I've seen in my life" and described him as "marching in tennis gear."

His comment was "disappointing" and "showed no self-awareness," he remarked.

"I need to say that categorising it as a 'huge mistake' suggests that in some way the politics of the band or our stance on Palestine's freedom is not thought out," he explained.

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

Meaning Behind the Chant

After asked what he meant by the phrase "Down with the IDF," Vylan clarified the chant itself was "unimportant."

"What is important is the conditions that exist to allow that chant to even take place on that platform. And I mean, the conditions that are present in Palestine. In which the Palestinian people are being killed at an alarming rate. Who cares about the slogan?" he said.

"The phrase rhymes," he added: "Stop the IDF' does not rhyme, wouldn't have caught on, right? … We are there to entertain. We are there to sing songs. I am a lyricist. 'Death, Death to IDF' rhymes. Perfect slogan."

Denial of Hate Speech Allegations

The musician also denied claims from the Community Security Trust, a watchdog and Jewish community safety group, that their performance led to a rise in antisemitic events recorded two days.

"I believe I have caused an hostile environment for the Jewish community. Suppose there were large numbers of individuals acting and saying 'We made me do this'. I could go, oof, I've had a bad effect here," he commented.

Comparison with Other Artists

When Vylan said he felt the duo had been targeted more severely than others for speaking about the conflict, Theroux brought up the Ireland-based band Kneecap, who have also encountered criticism for their method to pro-Palestine messaging.

"That's a notable point," Vylan said, "since as with all things race comes to play a part in that we are an more convenient target, no pun intended, than they are because we are inherently the enemy."