Bobby Vylan's Stance on Glastonbury Israel Defense Forces Protest: "Zero Remorse"

The frontman Bobby Vylan has stated he is "without regret" about his "death, death to the IDF" performance at the festival and asserted he would "do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

Controversial Chant and Official Responses

The outspoken music pair sparked widespread controversy when they led crowd calls of "down with the IDF," referring to the Israel Defense Forces, during their summer set. The chant was censured by festival organizers and Britain's leader the prime minister, who described it as "shocking hate speech."

After the incident, the band was dropped by its agency UTA, and the US state department revoked the artists' visas, compelling them to cancel a scheduled North American tour.

Interview with Louis Theroux

During his first public discussion since the festival show, the musician, whose birth name is Pascal Foster, spoke on The Louis Theroux Podcast. When questioned if he would repeat his actions, he replied:

"Oh yeah. Like suppose I was to perform at Glastonbury 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 backlash the band encountered was "minimal compared to what people in Palestine are experiencing."

Regarding the Chant's Importance

"I aim not to exaggerate the importance of the slogan," he continued. "That's not what I'm trying to do, but since I have their support, these are the individuals that I'm doing it for, these are the individuals that I'm being vocal for, then what is there to regret? Well, because I've angered some conservative politician or some rightwing media?"

Surprising Response and BBC Comments

This artist claimed he was taken aback by the uproar triggered by the exclamation, and asserted that staff of the broadcaster employees at Glastonbury told him on the day that the performance was "excellent."

However, the corporation's ECU later found that the network's airing of the show violated content guidelines in regard to offense and hurt.

Vylan told 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 leave stage. It's normal. Nobody thought anything. Nobody. Even staff at the broadcaster were like 'That was fantastic! We loved that!'"

Reply to Damon Albarn

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

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

"I need to say that labeling it as a 'huge mistake' implies that somehow the politics of the band or our position 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 wording, I think is disgusting. I think his answer was disgusting."

Meaning Behind the Slogan

After questioned what he meant by the phrase "Death to the IDF," Vylan said the chant itself was "unimportant."

"What is important is the situation that exist to allow that chant to even take place on that stage. 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 stated.

"Death to the IDF 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 sing songs. I am a lyricist. 'Death, Death to IDF' rhymes. Ideal chant."

Denial of Hate Speech Allegations

Vylan also rejected claims from the CST, a watchdog and Jewish safety organisation, that their performance led to a rise in antisemitic events reported two days.

"I believe I have created an unsafe atmosphere for the Jewish people. Suppose there were many individuals of individuals acting and saying 'We made me do this'. I could go, oof, I've had a negative impact here," he commented.

Comparison with Other Artists

As Vylan said he felt the band had been targeted more heavily than others for speaking about the situation, the host brought up the Ireland-based band Kneecap, who have likewise encountered criticism for their method to pro-Palestinian messaging.

"That's a notable point," Vylan said, "since as with everything ethnicity comes to play a factor in that we are an easier villain, no pun intended, than others are because we are already the enemy."

Kristin Miller
Kristin Miller

Aria Vance is a technology writer and sustainability advocate, sharing insights on green innovations and their real-world applications.