Bobby Vylan's Stance on Festival IDF Protest: "Zero Remorse"
Punk duo frontman of Bob Vylan has expressed he is "without regret" about his "anti-IDF chant" act at the festival and asserted he would "do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."
Controversial Exclamation and Official Responses
This vocal punk duo ignited widespread controversy when they initiated crowd calls of "death, death to the IDF," referring to the Israel Defense Forces, during their summer performance. This chant was censured by Glastonbury and UK Prime Minister the prime minister, who described it as "appalling hate speech."
Following the event, the band was released by its representation UTA, and the US government revoked the artists' travel documents, compelling the duo to call off a scheduled North American tour.
Interview with Louis Theroux
In his initial public discussion after the festival performance, Vylan, using his real name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, spoke on The Louis Theroux Podcast. When questioned if he would repeat his actions, he responded:
"Absolutely. For instance suppose I was to go on Glastonbury again tomorrow, definitely I would do it again. I'm without regret of it. I'd do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."
The artist noted that the criticism the band encountered was "minimal compared to what people in Gaza are going through."
Regarding the Protest's Significance
"I don't want to overstate the importance of the slogan," he elaborated. "That's not what I'm trying to do, but since I have the Palestinian people's backing, these are the people that I'm advocating for, these are the individuals that I'm being vocal for, then what is there to feel sorry about? Oh, because I've angered some conservative politician or some conservative media?"
Surprising Reaction and Broadcaster Feedback
This musician claimed he was surprised by the outcry triggered by the chant, and asserted that staff of the broadcaster staff at the event told him on the same day that the performance was "excellent."
Yet, the broadcaster's executive complaints unit later found that the BBC's airing of the performance breached content guidelines in relation to offense and offence.
Vylan told Theroux there was no indication of a controversy in the immediate aftermath: "It wasn't like we came off stage, and everybody was like [shocked]. It felt normal. We leave stage. It was normal. No one thought anything. Nobody. Even crew at the broadcaster were like 'That was fantastic! We loved that!'"
Response to Blur Frontman
Vylan also responded at Damon Albarn, who called the protest "one of the most spectacular misfires I've witnessed in my life" and characterized Vylan as "marching in sport gear."
His reaction was "disappointing" and "showed no self-awareness," he remarked.
"I need to say that labeling it as a 'huge mistake' implies that in some way the views of the band or our position on Palestinian liberation is not thought out," he stated.
"I take great issue with the phrase 'marching' being used because it's only used around Nazi Germany," he continued. "That's it. And for him to use that wording, I think is disgusting. I think his response was disgusting."
Intent Behind the Chant
After asked what he meant by the phrase "Death to the IDF," the artist said the chant itself was "insignificant."
"What is important is the situation that persist to permit that chant to even occur on that platform. And I mean, the conditions that exist in Palestine. Where the Palestinian population are being killed at an disturbing rate. What matters about the chant?" he said.
"The phrase rhymes," he noted: "Stop the IDF' does not rhyme, wouldn't have caught on, right? … We are there to entertain. We are there to play music. I am a songwriter. 'Death, Death to IDF' rhymes. Ideal chant."
Rejection of Hate Speech Claims
The musician also denied claims from the Community Security Trust, a watchdog and Jewish safety group, that their performance contributed to a rise in anti-Jewish events reported later.
"I don't think I have created an unsafe environment for the Jewish people. If there were many individuals of people acting and saying 'Bob Vylan made me do this'. I might go, oh, I've had a negative effect here," he commented.
Comparison with Different Bands
When Vylan said he thought the band had been targeted more severely than others for speaking about the conflict, Theroux brought up the Ireland-based band another band, who have also faced criticism for their method to pro-Palestinian advocacy.
"That's an interesting one," Vylan responded, "since as with everything ethnicity comes to play a part in that we are an more convenient villain, no pun intended, than they are because we are already the opponent."