Bobby Vylan's Position on Glastonbury Israel Defense Forces Protest: "No Regrets"
Punk duo lead singer Bobby Vylan has expressed he is "without regret" about his "death, death to the IDF" performance at the festival and declared he would "repeat it tomorrow, twice on Sundays."
Controversial Exclamation and Official Responses
The outspoken punk duo ignited significant controversy when they led crowd chants of "death, death to the IDF," referring to the Israel Defense Forces, during their summer performance. The slogan was condemned by Glastonbury and Britain's leader the prime minister, who labeled it as "shocking hate speech."
Following the event, Bob Vylan was dropped by its representation UTA, and the US government revoked the artists' visas, compelling them to cancel a scheduled North American concert series.
Conversation with the Podcaster
During his initial public discussion since the Glastonbury performance, the musician, whose birth name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, conversed on The Louis Theroux Podcast. When asked if he would do it all again, he responded:
"Oh yeah. Like what if I was to go on Glastonbury again tomorrow, yes I would repeat it. I'm not regretful of it. I'd say it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."
He noted that the backlash the band faced was "small compared to what people in Palestine are going through."
On the Protest's Significance
"I don't want to overstate the significance of the slogan," he elaborated. "That's not what I'm attempting to do, but since I have their backing, they're the individuals that I'm doing it for, they're the people that I'm being vocal for, then what is there to feel sorry about? Oh, because I've upset some rightwing official or some rightwing news outlet?"
Unexpected Reaction and Broadcaster Feedback
The musician claimed he was taken aback by the uproar sparked by the exclamation, and stated that staff of the broadcaster staff at Glastonbury told him on the day that the set was "fantastic."
However, the corporation's executive complaints unit subsequently found that the network's airing 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 everyone was like [shocked]. It felt normal. We come off stage. It's normal. Nobody suspected anything. Not a soul. Even staff at the BBC were like 'That was fantastic! We enjoyed that!'"
Response to Blur Frontman
Vylan also hit back at the Blur singer, who called the chant "a major misstep I've seen in my life" and characterized him as "goose-stepping in sport gear."
Albarn's reaction was "letdown" and "showed no self-awareness," Vylan remarked.
"I just want to say that categorising it as a 'huge mistake' suggests that somehow the politics of the duo or our stance on Palestinian liberation is unplanned," he stated.
"I take great issue with the phrase 'marching' being used because it's typically associated around Nazi Germany," he added. "Precisely. And for him to use that language, I think is offensive. I think his answer was appalling."
Intent Behind the Slogan
After questioned what he meant by the phrase "Down with the IDF," the artist said the slogan itself was "unimportant."
"The key issue is the conditions that persist to allow that chant to even occur on that platform. And I mean, the circumstances that are present in the region. Where the Palestinian people are being slain at an disturbing rate. What matters 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 lyricist. 'The chant' rhymes. Ideal slogan."
Denial of Antisemitism Allegations
The musician also denied claims from the Community Security Trust, a watchdog and Jewish community safety organisation, that their set led to a spike in anti-Jewish incidents recorded two days.
"I believe I have created an unsafe atmosphere for the Jewish community. If there were large numbers of people going out and going like 'We made me do this'. I might go, oh, I've had a negative effect here," he said.
Comparison with Other Artists
When Vylan mentioned he thought the duo had been criticised more severely than different artists for voicing views about the conflict, Theroux brought up the Ireland-based band Kneecap, who have likewise faced backlash for their method to pro-Palestinian messaging.
"That's a notable point," he responded, "since as with everything ethnicity becomes a factor in that we are an easier villain, seriously, than others are because we are inherently the enemy."