Bob Vylan's Stance on Festival Israel Defense Forces Protest: "No Regrets"
Punk duo frontman Bobby Vylan has expressed 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 Exclamation and Official Responses
The outspoken music duo ignited significant 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 labeled it as "shocking hate speech."
After the incident, Bob Vylan was dropped by its agency UTA, and the US government revoked the artists' visas, forcing them to call off a planned US and Canada tour.
Conversation with Louis Theroux
During his first interview after the festival performance, the musician, using his real name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, conversed on a popular podcast. After questioned if he would do it all again, he replied:
"Absolutely. For instance what if I was to go on 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 added that the backlash the duo faced was "small compared to what individuals in Gaza are experiencing."
On the Protest's Significance
"I don't want to exaggerate the significance of the slogan," he continued. "It isn't what I'm attempting to do, but if I have their support, these are the people that I'm advocating for, these are the people that I'm being vocal for, then what is there to regret? Oh, because I've upset some conservative official or some conservative media?"
Surprising Response and BBC Comments
The artist claimed he was taken aback by the uproar triggered by the chant, and stated that staff of the broadcaster employees at the event told him on the day that the performance was "excellent."
However, the broadcaster's ECU subsequently determined that the BBC's broadcast of the show breached content standards in relation to offense and offence.
He told Theroux there was no sign of a controversy in the immediate aftermath: "It wasn't like we came off stage, and everybody was like [shocked]. It's just normal. We come off stage. It was normal. No one suspected anything. Nobody. Even staff at the BBC were like 'That was fantastic! We enjoyed that!'"
Response to Blur Frontman
The musician also hit back at Damon Albarn, who labeled the chant "a major misstep I've seen in my life" and characterized him as "marching in tennis gear."
His comment was "disappointing" and "lacked self-awareness," he remarked.
"I need to say that categorising it as a 'huge mistake' suggests that somehow the politics of the band or our position on Palestine's freedom is not thought out," he stated.
"I strongly object with the phrase 'goose-stepping' being used because it's typically associated around Nazi Germany," he added. "That's it. And for him to use that wording, I think is disgusting. I think his answer was disgusting."
Meaning Behind the Chant
After asked what he meant by the chant "Down with the IDF," Vylan said the chant itself was "unimportant."
"The key issue is the situation that exist to permit that protest to even take place on that stage. And I mean, the conditions that are present in the region. Where the local population are being killed at an alarming rate. Who cares about the chant?" he stated.
"The phrase rhymes," he added: "'End, End the IDF does not rhyme, wouldn't have spread, right? … We are there to perform. We are there to sing songs. I am a songwriter. 'Death, Death to IDF' rhymes. Ideal chant."
Rejection of Hate Speech Allegations
Vylan also denied assertions from the CST, a monitoring and Jewish safety organisation, that their set contributed to a spike in anti-Jewish incidents reported later.
"I believe I have created an hostile atmosphere for the Jewish community. Suppose there were large numbers of people acting and saying 'We made me do this'. I might go, oof, I've had a bad impact here," he commented.
Comparison with Different Artists
As he said he thought the duo had been criticised more heavily than others for speaking about the situation, the host referenced the Irish group Kneecap, who have also encountered backlash for their method to pro-Palestine messaging.
"That's a notable point," Vylan responded, "since as with all things race becomes a part in that we are an more convenient villain, seriously, than they are because we are inherently the opponent."