Bobby Vylan Stance on Glastonbury IDF Chant: "No Remorse"
Punk duo frontman of Bob Vylan has stated he is "without regret" about his "anti-IDF chant" act at Glastonbury and declared he would "repeat it tomorrow, twice on Sundays."
Controversial Exclamation and Official Responses
This vocal music duo ignited significant debate when they initiated audience calls of "down with the IDF," pointing to the IDF, during their summer performance. The slogan was censured by festival organizers and Britain's leader the prime minister, who labeled it as "appalling hate speech."
Following the incident, Bob Vylan was released by its representation UTA, and the American government cancelled the members' travel documents, forcing the duo to cancel a scheduled North American tour.
Interview with the Podcaster
In his first public discussion after the Glastonbury performance, the musician, whose birth name is Pascal Foster, spoke on The Louis Theroux Podcast. When asked if he would repeat his actions, he replied:
"Absolutely. Like suppose I was to go on the festival again tomorrow, definitely I would do it again. I'm not regretful of it. I'd do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."
He added that the criticism the duo faced was "small compared to what individuals in Gaza are going through."
On the Protest's Significance
"I don't want to overstate the importance of the slogan," he elaborated. "That's not what I'm trying to do, but if I have the Palestinian people's support, these are the people that I'm doing it for, these are the people that I'm speaking up for, then what is there to feel sorry about? Well, because I've angered some conservative politician or some conservative media?"
Surprising Reaction and BBC Comments
The musician said he was surprised by the outcry triggered by the exclamation, and asserted that staff of the broadcaster staff at the event told him on the day that the performance was "fantastic."
However, the broadcaster's ECU subsequently determined that the BBC's airing of the performance violated editorial standards in regard to harm and hurt.
Vylan informed the host there was no sign of a controversy in the immediate aftermath: "It wasn't like we came off stage, and everyone was like [shocked]. It's just normal. We leave stage. It's normal. Nobody suspected anything. Not a soul. Including crew at the broadcaster were like 'It was fantastic! We loved that!'"
Response to Damon Albarn
Vylan also hit back at Damon Albarn, who labeled the chant "a major misstep I've witnessed in my life" and characterized Vylan as "marching in tennis gear."
Albarn's reaction was "letdown" and "lacked self-awareness," Vylan said.
"I need to say that categorising it as a 'huge mistake' implies that in some way the views of the band or our position on Palestinian liberation is not thought out," he stated.
"I strongly object with the phrase 'goose-stepping' being used because it's only used around Nazi Germany," he added. "That's it. And for him to use that language, I think is offensive. I think his response was disgusting."
Intent Behind the Chant
When asked what he intended by the phrase "Down with the IDF," the artist said the chant itself was "unimportant."
"The key issue is the situation that exist to allow that chant to even take place on that platform. And I mean, the circumstances that exist in Palestine. Where the Palestinian population are being slain at an alarming rate. Who cares about the chant?" he said.
"Death to the IDF rhymes," he added: "Stop the IDF' does not rhyme, wouldn't have spread, right? … We are there to perform. We are there to play music. I am a lyricist. 'The chant' rhymes. Ideal chant."
Rejection of Hate Speech Claims
The musician also denied claims from the Community Security Trust, a monitoring and Jewish safety group, that their performance contributed to a rise in anti-Jewish incidents reported two days.
"I don't think I have created an hostile atmosphere for the Jewish people. If there were many individuals of individuals acting and saying 'Bob Vylan made me do this'. I could go, oof, I've had a negative effect here," he commented.
Contrast with Other Artists
As he mentioned he felt the duo had been criticised more severely than different artists for voicing views about the situation, the host brought up the Irish group another band, who have also faced backlash for their method to pro-Palestine advocacy.
"That's a notable point," Vylan said, "because as with all things ethnicity comes to play a part in that we are an more convenient target, no pun intended, than they are because we are inherently the opponent."