Bobby Vylan Stance on Glastonbury Israel Defense Forces Protest: "No Remorse"

The lead singer of Bob Vylan has expressed he is "without regret" about his "death, death to the IDF" act at the festival and declared he would "do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

Controversial Chant and Political Responses

This outspoken music pair sparked widespread controversy when they led audience calls of "death, death to the IDF," referring to the IDF, during their summer set. This slogan was condemned by Glastonbury and Britain's leader the prime minister, who labeled it as "appalling hate speech."

After the incident, Bob Vylan was released by its agency UTA, and the US state department cancelled the artists' visas, forcing them to cancel a planned North American tour.

Interview with the Podcaster

During his first interview after the Glastonbury show, Vylan, using his birth name is Pascal Foster, spoke on a popular podcast. When questioned if he would do it all again, he replied:

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

The artist noted that the backlash the duo faced was "small compared to what individuals in Gaza are going through."

Regarding the Protest's Significance

"I aim not to exaggerate the importance of the chant," he elaborated. "It isn't what I'm trying to do, but since I have their support, these are the individuals that I'm doing it for, they're the people that I'm speaking up for, then what is there to regret? Oh, because I've upset some rightwing official or some conservative media?"

Surprising Reaction and BBC Feedback

This musician said he was surprised by the uproar triggered by the exclamation, and stated that staff of BBC employees at the event told him on the day that the set was "fantastic."

However, the broadcaster's ECU subsequently found that the network's broadcast of the show violated editorial standards in regard to offense and hurt.

Vylan told the host there was no indication of a controversy in the immediate aftermath: "It wasn't like we left stage, and everybody was like [gasps]. It's just normal. We leave stage. It's normal. No one suspected anything. Not a soul. Including crew at the broadcaster were like 'That was fantastic! We enjoyed that!'"

Response to Damon Albarn

The musician also hit back at Damon Albarn, who called the chant "one of the most spectacular misfires I've seen in my life" and described Vylan as "marching in sport gear."

Albarn's comment was "disappointing" and "lacked self-awareness," he said.

"I just want to say that categorising it as a 'spectacular misfire' suggests that in some way the politics of the duo or our position on Palestine's freedom is unplanned," he explained.

"I take great issue with the phrase 'goose-stepping' being used because it's typically associated around the Nazis," he continued. "Precisely. And for him to use that language, I think is disgusting. I think his response was disgusting."

Meaning Behind the Chant

When asked what he meant by the phrase "Death to the IDF," Vylan said the slogan itself was "unimportant."

"What is important is the conditions that persist to permit that protest to even take place on that stage. And I mean, the circumstances that exist in Palestine. In which the local people are being killed at an disturbing rate. Who cares about the chant?" he said.

"The phrase rhymes," he noted: "Stop the IDF' does not rhyme, wouldn't have spread, would it? … We are there to perform. We are there to sing songs. I am a lyricist. 'The chant' rhymes. Ideal slogan."

Rejection of Antisemitism Claims

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

"I believe I have created an unsafe atmosphere for the Jewish community. Suppose there were large numbers of people acting and going like 'Bob Vylan made me do this'. I might go, oh, I've had a bad impact here," he said.

Comparison with Other Artists

When Vylan said he felt the duo had been targeted more heavily than different artists for speaking about the conflict, the host brought up the Irish band Kneecap, who have also encountered backlash for their approach to pro-Palestine advocacy.

"That's a notable point," Vylan said, "because as with everything ethnicity becomes a factor in that we are an easier villain, seriously, than they are because we are already the enemy."

Timothy Davis
Timothy Davis

An avid hiker and nature writer, Elara shares trail guides and eco-friendly travel insights to inspire outdoor exploration.