Bob Vylan’s Bobby Vylan has spoken out about the controversy surrounding the duo’s Glastonbury set in June that sparked international headlines.
During the London rap group’s performance at the iconic festival, Vylan led the crowd in chants of “Free, free Palestine” and “Death, death to the IDF [Israel Defense Forces]”. The incident triggered immediate backlash, with Prime Minister Starmer condemning the remarks as “appalling hate speech” and prompting a police investigation.
The controversy escalated when the U.S. State Department revoked the duo’s American visas ahead of their planned fall tour, whilst several festivals including Radar Festival and France’s Kave Fest dropped them from their lineups.
During a appearance on Louis Theroux’s The Louis Theroux Podcast earlier this month, when asked if he stood by his comments, Vylan responded (via Rolling Stone): “Oh yeah. Like what if I was to go on Glastonbury again tomorrow, yes I would do it again. I’m not regretful of it. I’d do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays.
“I’m not regretful of it at all, like the subsequent backlash that I’ve faced. It’s minimal. It’s minimal compared to what people in Palestine are going through.”
He continue: “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 upset some right-wing politician or some right-wing media?”
When Theroux pressed him on the interpretation of his words, particularly regarding potential violence against IDF soldiers, Vylan redirected the conversation towards broader issues. “My whole issue with this thing is that the chant is so unimportant. It’s so unimportant, and the response to it was so disproportionate,” he argued.
Love Music?
Get your daily dose of metal, rock, indie, pop, and everything else in between.
“What is important is the conditions that exist to allow that chant to even take place on that stage. And I mean, the conditions that exist in Palestine. Where the Palestinian people are being killed at an alarming rate. Who cares about the chant? It’s like, what is it that is allowing for that chant to even exist? That’s what the focus should have always been on it.”
The interview was recorded before news of a Gaza cease-fire deal emerged on 9th October.
