Bobby Vylan Stance on Festival IDF Chant: "Zero Remorse"

The frontman Bobby Vylan has stated he is "not regretful" about his "anti-IDF chant" act at Glastonbury and declared he would "do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

Controversial Exclamation and Political Responses

This vocal punk duo sparked significant debate when they initiated crowd chants of "death, death to the IDF," referring to the Israel Defense Forces, during their June performance. The slogan was censured by Glastonbury and UK Prime Minister the prime minister, who labeled it as "shocking hate speech."

After the event, Bob Vylan was released by its representation United Talent Agency, and the US state department cancelled the members' travel documents, forcing the duo to call off a scheduled North American tour.

Conversation with the Podcaster

During his first interview since the festival performance, the musician, whose birth name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, spoke on a popular podcast. After questioned if he would do it all again, he responded:

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

He added that the criticism the duo encountered was "minimal compared to what individuals in Palestine are experiencing."

Regarding the Protest's Importance

"I aim not to exaggerate the significance of the slogan," he elaborated. "It isn't what I'm attempting to do, but if I have their backing, 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 feel sorry about? Oh, because I've angered some conservative politician or some rightwing news outlet?"

Surprising Response and Broadcaster Comments

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

However, the corporation's executive complaints unit later found that the network's broadcast of the show violated content standards in regard to offense and offence.

Vylan informed Theroux there was no sign of a dispute in the moment: "It didn't feel like we left stage, and everybody was like [gasps]. It's just normal. We come off stage. It's normal. No one thought anything. Nobody. Including crew at the BBC were like 'It was fantastic! We enjoyed that!'"

Reply to Blur Frontman

The musician also responded at the Blur singer, who labeled the chant "a major misstep I've seen in my life" and characterized Vylan as "marching in tennis gear."

Albarn's comment was "letdown" and "lacked self-awareness," Vylan said.

"I need to say that categorising it as a 'spectacular misfire' suggests that somehow the politics of the duo or our stance on Palestine's freedom is not thought out," he explained.

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

Intent Behind the Slogan

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

"The key issue is the situation that exist to allow that protest to even occur on that stage. And I mean, the circumstances that are present in Palestine. Where the Palestinian population 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, would it? … We are there to entertain. We are there to sing songs. I am a songwriter. 'Death, Death to IDF' rhymes. Perfect chant."

Denial of Hate Speech Claims

Vylan also rejected assertions from the CST, a monitoring and Jewish safety organisation, that their performance led to a spike in antisemitic incidents recorded later.

"I believe I have created an hostile atmosphere for the Jewish people. Suppose there were large numbers of people going out and saying 'Bob Vylan made me do this'. I might go, oof, I've had a negative effect here," he commented.

Comparison with Other Bands

When Vylan said he thought the duo had been criticised more heavily than different artists for speaking about the situation, Theroux brought up the Irish group Kneecap, who have also encountered backlash for their method to pro-Palestine messaging.

"That's a notable point," he responded, "since as with all things race becomes a factor in that we are an more convenient target, seriously, than others are because we are inherently the enemy."

William Park
William Park

A tech enthusiast and digital strategist with a passion for exploring emerging technologies and their impact on society.