Bobby Vylan Position on Glastonbury IDF Chant: "Zero Remorse"
The frontman of Bob Vylan has expressed he is "not regretful" about his "death, death to the IDF" performance at the festival and declared he would "do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."
Disputed Exclamation and Political Responses
This outspoken punk pair sparked significant debate when they initiated crowd chants of "death, death to the IDF," referring to the Israel Defense Forces, during their June performance. This chant was condemned by Glastonbury and UK Prime Minister the prime minister, who labeled it as "shocking hate speech."
After the event, Bob Vylan was released by its agency United Talent Agency, and the American state department cancelled the artists' visas, forcing the duo to call off a scheduled North American concert series.
Conversation with the Podcaster
During his first public discussion since the Glastonbury show, Vylan, using his birth name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, conversed on a popular podcast. When asked if he would do it all again, he replied:
"Absolutely. Like suppose I was to perform at the festival again tomorrow, yes I would do it again. I'm not regretful of it. I'd say it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."
He noted that the backlash the duo faced was "minimal compared to what individuals in Palestine are experiencing."
Regarding the Protest's Significance
"I don't want to exaggerate the significance of the chant," 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? Oh, because I've upset some rightwing official or some rightwing media?"
Unexpected Reaction and BBC Comments
The musician claimed he was surprised by the uproar triggered by the exclamation, and asserted that members of the broadcaster employees at Glastonbury told him on the day that the performance was "fantastic."
Yet, the broadcaster's ECU later determined that the network's broadcast of the performance breached content standards in regard to harm and offence.
Vylan told Theroux there was no indication of a controversy in the moment: "It wasn't like we came off stage, and everyone was like [gasps]. It felt normal. We come off stage. It was normal. No one suspected anything. Not a soul. Including staff at the BBC were like 'That was fantastic! We enjoyed that!'"
Response to Damon Albarn
Vylan also hit back at the Blur singer, who labeled the chant "a major misstep I've witnessed in my life" and characterized him as "goose-stepping in tennis gear."
Albarn's comment was "letdown" and "showed no self-awareness," Vylan remarked.
"I just want to say that labeling it as a 'spectacular misfire' suggests that in some way the politics of the band 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 typically associated around Nazi Germany," he continued. "That's it. And for him to use that language, I think is offensive. I think his response was appalling."
Meaning Behind the Chant
When questioned what he intended by the phrase "Death to the IDF," Vylan said the chant itself was "insignificant."
"What is important is the situation that exist to permit that protest to even take place on that stage. And I mean, the circumstances that are present in the region. In which the local population are being slain at an alarming rate. Who cares about the chant?" he said.
"The phrase rhymes," he added: "Stop the IDF' does not rhyme, wouldn't have spread, would it? … We are there to perform. We are there to sing songs. I am a songwriter. 'The chant' rhymes. Ideal chant."
Denial of Hate Speech Allegations
Vylan also rejected assertions from the Community Security Trust, a watchdog and Jewish community safety group, that their performance contributed to a spike in anti-Jewish incidents recorded later.
"I don't think I have created an hostile atmosphere for the Jewish community. If there were large numbers of individuals acting and saying 'We made me do this'. I could go, oh, I've had a negative effect here," he commented.
Contrast with Different Bands
When he said he felt the band had been targeted more heavily than others for speaking about the conflict, Theroux referenced the Ireland-based band Kneecap, who have likewise encountered criticism for their approach to pro-Palestinian advocacy.
"That's an interesting one," he said, "because as with everything ethnicity becomes a factor in that we are an more convenient villain, seriously, than others are because we are inherently the enemy."