Bob Vylan Position on Festival IDF Protest: "Zero Remorse"
The lead singer Bobby Vylan has stated he is "without regret" about his "anti-IDF chant" performance at the festival and declared he would "do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."
Disputed Chant and Political Reactions
The vocal punk duo sparked widespread debate when they led audience calls of "death, death to the IDF," referring to the IDF, during their June performance. This slogan was condemned by festival organizers and UK Prime Minister the prime minister, who described it as "shocking hate speech."
Following the event, Bob Vylan was released by its representation UTA, and the US government revoked the artists' travel documents, forcing them to cancel a scheduled US and Canada concert series.
Interview with the Podcaster
During his first interview since the Glastonbury show, Vylan, whose birth name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, conversed on a popular podcast. After questioned if he would do it all again, he replied:
"Oh yeah. For instance suppose I was to perform at Glastonbury again tomorrow, yes 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 backlash the duo encountered was "minimal compared to what individuals in Palestine are experiencing."
Regarding the Protest's Significance
"I aim not to exaggerate the importance of the chant," he continued. "It isn't what I'm trying to do, but if I have the Palestinian people's backing, these are the people that I'm doing it for, these are the people that I'm being vocal for, then what is there to feel sorry about? Well, because I've angered some rightwing politician or some conservative media?"
Unexpected Reaction and BBC Feedback
This musician claimed he was taken aback by the uproar sparked by the chant, and asserted that members of BBC staff at Glastonbury told him on the day that the set was "excellent."
However, the corporation's executive complaints unit later found that the network's broadcast of the show breached editorial guidelines in regard to offense and offence.
He informed Theroux there was no sign of a controversy in the moment: "It didn't feel like we left stage, and everybody was like [shocked]. It's just normal. We come off stage. It's normal. Nobody thought anything. Nobody. Even crew at the broadcaster were like 'That was fantastic! We loved that!'"
Response to Damon Albarn
The musician also hit back at the Blur singer, who called the protest "a major misstep I've witnessed in my life" and characterized Vylan as "goose-stepping in tennis gear."
Albarn's comment was "disappointing" and "lacked self-awareness," Vylan remarked.
"I just want to say that categorising it as a 'huge mistake' implies that in some way the views of the duo or our stance on Palestine's freedom is unplanned," he stated.
"I take great issue with the phrase 'marching' being used because it's only used around Nazi Germany," he added. "Precisely. And for him to use that wording, I think is offensive. I think his response was appalling."
Intent Behind the Chant
After questioned what he meant by the phrase "Death to the IDF," the artist clarified the slogan itself was "insignificant."
"What is important is the conditions that persist to allow that protest to even take place on that platform. And I mean, the circumstances that exist in Palestine. Where the local people are being killed at an alarming rate. What matters about the slogan?" he said.
"Death to the IDF rhymes," he added: "'End, End the IDF does not rhyme, wouldn't have caught on, would it? … We are there to entertain. We are there to play music. I am a songwriter. 'Death, Death to IDF' rhymes. Ideal slogan."
Rejection of Antisemitism Allegations
The musician also rejected claims from the Community Security Trust, a watchdog and Jewish safety group, that their performance contributed to a rise in antisemitic events reported later.
"I believe I have created an unsafe atmosphere for the Jewish community. Suppose there were large numbers of people going out and going like 'We made me do this'. I could go, oof, I've had a bad effect here," he said.
Comparison with Different Bands
When he mentioned he felt the duo had been targeted more heavily than different artists for speaking about the situation, the host brought up the Ireland-based band another band, who have likewise encountered backlash for their method to pro-Palestinian messaging.
"That's an interesting one," he responded, "because as with all things ethnicity becomes a factor in that we are an easier target, no pun intended, than they are because we are inherently the opponent."