Bobby Vylan Position on Glastonbury Israel Defense Forces Protest: "Zero Regrets"
The frontman of Bob Vylan has stated he is "not regretful" about his "anti-IDF chant" act at Glastonbury and declared he would "do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."
Disputed Chant and Political Responses
The vocal music pair sparked significant debate when they led crowd calls of "death, death to the IDF," referring to the IDF, during their summer set. This chant was condemned by festival organizers and Britain's leader the prime minister, who described it as "shocking hate speech."
After the event, Bob Vylan was released by its agency UTA, and the US state department cancelled the artists' travel documents, forcing them to cancel a planned US and Canada tour.
Interview with the Podcaster
In his initial public discussion since the Glastonbury performance, Vylan, whose birth name is Pascal Foster, conversed on The Louis Theroux Podcast. When asked if he would repeat his actions, he replied:
"Absolutely. Like what if I was to perform at Glastonbury again tomorrow, yes I would repeat it. I'm without regret of it. I'd do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."
He added that the criticism the band faced was "small compared to what people in Gaza are experiencing."
On the Protest's Significance
"I don't want to overstate the significance of the slogan," he continued. "That's not what I'm attempting to do, but since I have the Palestinian people's 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 regret? Well, because I've angered some conservative politician or some conservative news outlet?"
Surprising Reaction and BBC Feedback
The artist said he was taken aback by the outcry sparked by the exclamation, and stated that members of the broadcaster employees at the event told him on the day that the performance was "fantastic."
Yet, the broadcaster's ECU subsequently found that the network's airing of the show violated editorial standards in regard to offense and hurt.
He informed Theroux there was no sign of a controversy in the immediate aftermath: "It wasn't like we came off stage, and everybody was like [gasps]. It felt normal. We come off stage. It's normal. Nobody suspected anything. Nobody. Even crew at the BBC were like 'That was fantastic! We enjoyed that!'"
Response to Blur Frontman
The musician also responded at the Blur singer, who called the protest "one of the most spectacular misfires I've witnessed in my life" and described him as "marching in sport gear."
Albarn's reaction was "letdown" and "lacked self-awareness," Vylan said.
"I just want to say that labeling it as a 'spectacular misfire' suggests that somehow the views of the duo or our position on Palestine's freedom is not thought out," he stated.
"I strongly object 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 disgusting."
Intent Behind the Slogan
After questioned what he meant by the phrase "Death to the IDF," the artist said the slogan itself was "unimportant."
"What is important is the conditions that persist to permit that chant to even occur on that platform. And I mean, the conditions that are present in Palestine. In which the local people are being killed at an alarming rate. Who cares about the chant?" he said.
"Death to the IDF rhymes," he added: "'End, End the IDF does not rhyme, wouldn't have spread, would it? … We are there to entertain. We are there to play music. I am a songwriter. 'The chant' rhymes. Perfect slogan."
Rejection of Antisemitism Claims
Vylan also rejected assertions from the CST, a watchdog and Jewish safety organisation, that their set led to a rise in anti-Jewish incidents reported two days.
"I don't think I have caused an unsafe atmosphere for the Jewish community. If there were many individuals of people acting and saying 'We made me do this'. I could go, oh, I've had a negative effect here," he said.
Comparison with Different Bands
As he mentioned he felt the band had been targeted more severely than different artists for voicing views about the situation, the host brought up the Irish band another band, who have likewise encountered criticism for their method to pro-Palestine messaging.
"That's a notable point," he said, "since as with everything ethnicity becomes a part in that we are an more convenient target, no pun intended, than they are because we are inherently the enemy."