Bobby Vylan's Position on Festival IDF Chant: "Zero Remorse"
The frontman Bobby Vylan has stated he is "without regret" about his "death, death to the IDF" performance at Glastonbury and declared he would "repeat it tomorrow, twice on Sundays."
Disputed Chant and Political Reactions
This vocal music duo ignited significant debate when they led crowd calls of "death, death to the IDF," pointing to the Israel Defense Forces, during their June set. This slogan was condemned by festival organizers and Britain's leader the prime minister, who labeled it as "appalling hate speech."
Following the incident, the band was dropped by its representation United Talent Agency, and the American state department cancelled the members' travel documents, forcing them to cancel a planned US and Canada tour.
Conversation with the Podcaster
In his first public discussion since the Glastonbury show, 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:
"Oh yeah. For instance what if I was to go on the festival again tomorrow, definitely I would repeat it. I'm not regretful of it. I'd say it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."
The artist added that the criticism the duo faced was "minimal compared to what people in Gaza are going through."
On the Protest's Significance
"I aim not to overstate the significance of the chant," he continued. "That's not what I'm trying to do, but if I have their backing, these are the individuals that I'm advocating for, they're the people that I'm being vocal for, then what is there to regret? Oh, because I've angered some rightwing politician or some rightwing news outlet?"
Surprising Response and BBC Comments
The musician said he was taken aback by the outcry triggered by the chant, and asserted that staff of the broadcaster staff at Glastonbury told him on the same day that the performance was "excellent."
However, the corporation's executive complaints unit subsequently found that the network's broadcast of the show violated content guidelines in regard to harm and offence.
Vylan informed the host there was no indication of a controversy in the moment: "It didn't feel like we came off stage, and everybody was like [shocked]. It felt normal. We come off stage. It was normal. No one suspected anything. Nobody. Even staff at the BBC were like 'That was fantastic! We loved that!'"
Reply to Blur Frontman
The musician also hit back at Damon Albarn, who called the chant "a major misstep I've seen in my life" and described Vylan as "goose-stepping in sport gear."
His comment was "disappointing" and "showed no self-awareness," Vylan said.
"I need to say that categorising it as a 'huge mistake' implies that somehow the views of the band or our stance on Palestine's freedom is unplanned," he explained.
"I strongly object with the phrase 'goose-stepping' being used because it's only used around the Nazis," he continued. "That's it. And for him to use that language, I think is offensive. I think his response was disgusting."
Meaning Behind the Chant
After asked what he meant by the phrase "Death to the IDF," the artist clarified the slogan itself was "insignificant."
"The key issue is the conditions that persist to allow that chant to even take place on that platform. And I mean, the conditions that exist in the region. In which the local people are being slain at an alarming rate. What matters about the slogan?" he stated.
"The phrase rhymes," he added: "Stop the IDF' does not rhyme, wouldn't have caught on, would it? … We are there to perform. We are there to play music. I am a songwriter. 'Death, Death to IDF' rhymes. Perfect chant."
Rejection of Hate Speech Allegations
The musician also denied claims from the CST, a monitoring and Jewish community safety group, that their performance led to a rise in anti-Jewish incidents recorded two days.
"I don't think I have created an hostile atmosphere for the Jewish community. Suppose there were many individuals of individuals acting and going like 'Bob Vylan made me do this'. I might go, oof, I've had a bad effect here," he commented.
Comparison with Other Bands
As Vylan said he felt the band had been criticised more severely than different artists for speaking about the situation, the host referenced the Irish group Kneecap, who have likewise encountered criticism for their method to pro-Palestine messaging.
"That's an interesting one," he responded, "because as with all things race comes to play a factor in that we are an more convenient villain, seriously, than others are because we are inherently the enemy."