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Punk duo lead singer of Bob Vylan has stated he is "without regret" about his "anti-IDF chant" act at the festival and declared he would "do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

Controversial Chant and Official Responses

This outspoken punk duo sparked widespread controversy when they initiated crowd calls of "down with the IDF," pointing to the IDF, during their June performance. This slogan was censured by festival organizers and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who described it as "shocking hate speech."

Following the event, the band was released by its representation UTA, and the American state department revoked the members' travel documents, forcing the duo to call off a scheduled North American concert series.

Conversation with the Podcaster

During his initial public discussion after the festival performance, the musician, whose birth name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, conversed on a popular podcast. After questioned if he would repeat his actions, he responded:

"Oh yeah. For instance what if I was to perform at the festival again tomorrow, definitely I would repeat it. I'm not regretful of it. I'd do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

The artist added that the criticism the band faced was "small compared to what people in Palestine are experiencing."

Regarding the Protest's Significance

"I aim not to overstate the significance of the chant," he continued. "That's not what I'm attempting to do, but if I have the Palestinian people's support, these are the people 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 conservative media?"

Surprising Reaction and Broadcaster Comments

The artist said he was taken aback by the uproar triggered by the exclamation, and stated that staff of the broadcaster employees at the event told him on the day that the set was "excellent."

However, the broadcaster's ECU subsequently determined that the BBC's airing of the show violated content guidelines in relation to harm and hurt.

He told Theroux there was no indication of a dispute in the moment: "It wasn't like we left stage, and everyone was like [gasps]. It felt normal. We leave stage. It was normal. Nobody thought anything. Nobody. Even staff at the BBC were like 'That was fantastic! We loved that!'"

Reply to Damon Albarn

The musician also hit back at the Blur singer, who labeled the protest "one of the most spectacular misfires I've witnessed in my life" and characterized Vylan as "marching in sport gear."

His reaction was "disappointing" and "lacked self-awareness," he remarked.

"I just want to say that categorising it as a 'spectacular misfire' implies that in some way the views of the duo or our position on Palestinian liberation is unplanned," he explained.

"I strongly object with the phrase 'marching' being used because it's only used 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 intended by the chant "Down with the IDF," Vylan clarified the chant itself was "insignificant."

"The key issue is the conditions that exist to permit that protest to even occur on that stage. And I mean, the circumstances that exist in Palestine. In which the Palestinian people are being killed at an alarming rate. What matters about the chant?" he stated.

"The phrase 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. 'The chant' rhymes. Perfect chant."

Rejection of Hate Speech Allegations

Vylan also denied assertions from the CST, a watchdog and Jewish safety organisation, that their set led to a spike in anti-Jewish events recorded two days.

"I don't think I have created an unsafe environment for the Jewish community. Suppose there were large numbers of people going out and saying 'Bob Vylan made me do this'. I could go, oh, I've had a bad impact here," he said.

Comparison with Different Artists

As Vylan mentioned he felt the duo had been targeted more severely than different artists for voicing views about the situation, the host referenced the Irish band Kneecap, who have likewise faced backlash for their approach to pro-Palestinian messaging.

"That's a notable point," he said, "since as with all things ethnicity comes to play a part in that we are an easier villain, no pun intended, than others are because we are inherently the enemy."