Bob Vylan Stance on Glastonbury Israel Defense Forces Chant: "No Regrets"
The frontman of Bob Vylan has stated he is "without regret" about his "anti-IDF chant" act at the festival and declared he would "repeat it tomorrow, twice on Sundays."
Disputed Chant and Official Reactions
This vocal punk duo ignited significant controversy when they initiated crowd calls of "down with the IDF," pointing to the IDF, during their summer performance. This slogan was censured by Glastonbury and UK Prime Minister the prime minister, who labeled it as "appalling hate speech."
Following the incident, the band was dropped by its representation UTA, and the US government revoked the members' travel documents, forcing the duo to call off a planned US and Canada tour.
Conversation with the Podcaster
During his first public discussion after the Glastonbury show, Vylan, whose real name is Pascal Foster, spoke on The Louis Theroux Podcast. After asked if he would repeat his actions, he responded:
"Oh yeah. Like what if I was to perform at Glastonbury again tomorrow, definitely I would repeat it. I'm not regretful of it. I'd say it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."
The artist noted that the criticism the duo encountered was "small compared to what individuals in Palestine are experiencing."
Regarding the Chant's Importance
"I don't want to exaggerate the importance of the slogan," he elaborated. "It isn't what I'm attempting to do, but if I have their support, they're the people that I'm doing it for, they're the people that I'm being vocal for, then what is there to regret? Oh, because I've angered some conservative official or some conservative news outlet?"
Surprising Reaction and Broadcaster Comments
The artist claimed he was surprised by the uproar sparked by the exclamation, and stated that staff of the broadcaster employees at Glastonbury told him on the day that the performance was "fantastic."
Yet, the corporation's executive complaints unit later found that the network's airing of the show violated editorial guidelines in relation to harm and offence.
Vylan told Theroux there was no sign of a dispute in the moment: "It didn't feel like we left stage, and everyone was like [gasps]. It's just normal. We leave stage. It's normal. No one suspected anything. Nobody. Even staff at the broadcaster were like 'It was fantastic! We enjoyed that!'"
Response to Damon Albarn
Vylan also hit back at the Blur singer, who labeled the protest "one of the most spectacular misfires I've seen in my life" and described Vylan as "marching in tennis gear."
His reaction was "disappointing" and "lacked self-awareness," he said.
"I need to say that categorising it as a 'spectacular misfire' suggests that somehow the views of the band or our position on Palestinian liberation is not thought out," he stated.
"I strongly object with the term 'marching' being used because it's only used around the Nazis," he added. "That's it. And for him to use that language, I think is disgusting. I think his answer was appalling."
Meaning Behind the Chant
When questioned what he meant by the chant "Down with the IDF," Vylan clarified the chant itself was "unimportant."
"The key issue is the situation that persist to permit that protest to even occur on that stage. And I mean, the conditions that exist in the region. In which the local people are being killed at an disturbing rate. What matters about the chant?" he stated.
"Death to the IDF rhymes," he noted: "Stop the IDF' does not rhyme, wouldn't have spread, right? … We are there to entertain. We are there to play music. I am a lyricist. 'Death, Death to IDF' rhymes. Ideal slogan."
Denial of Antisemitism Claims
The musician also denied claims from the Community Security Trust, a monitoring and Jewish safety organisation, that their set contributed to a rise in anti-Jewish incidents reported two days.
"I believe I have caused an unsafe atmosphere for the Jewish people. If there were many individuals of individuals going out and going like 'Bob Vylan made me do this'. I might go, oof, I've had a negative impact here," he said.
Comparison with Different Artists
When he said he felt the band had been targeted more heavily than different artists for speaking about the conflict, Theroux referenced the Irish group another band, who have also encountered criticism for their method to pro-Palestine advocacy.
"That's a notable point," Vylan responded, "since as with all things race becomes a factor in that we are an more convenient target, seriously, than they are because we are already the opponent."