British Airways has paused its sponsorship of the Louis Theroux podcast after an interview with Bob Vylan’s frontman Pascal Robinson-Foster, who led the controversial chant at Glastonbury
British Airways has suspended its sponsorship of the Louis Theroux podcast after an interview with Bob Vylan’s frontman aired.
The punk duo sparked controversy this summer when they led chants of “death, death to the IDF” (Israel Defence Forces) during their BBC livestreamed set at Glastonbury Festival.
Frontman Bobby Vylan, also known as Pascal Robinson-Foster, featured on The Louis Theroux Podcast in an episode broadcast earlier this week, declaring he was “not regretful” of the chant and would “do it again tomorrow”.
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British Airways has now suspended its advertising on the podcast, stating the content “breaches” its sponsorship policy, the Jewish News first reported.
A BA spokesperson told the PA news agency: “Our sponsorship of the series has now been paused and the advert has been removed. We’re grateful that this was brought to our attention, as the content clearly breaches our sponsorship policy in relation to politically sensitive or controversial subject matters.
“We and our third-party media agency have processes in place to ensure these issues don’t occur and we’re investigating how this happened.”
After their performance in June, Avon and Somerset police opened an investigation into the group, who were subsequently dropped by numerous festivals and performances including Radar festival, a show at a German music venue and their US tour after their visas were revoked. The group recently had to call off two UK performances due to “political pressure”, including a Manchester date following demands from Jewish leaders and MPs to axe the show.
Despite facing criticism, the band has enjoyed backing from loyal and new supporters alike, with their album Humble As The Sun climbing back into the charts over the summer months.
It reached number one in both the UK Hip Hop and R&B album charts, leading to the announcement of their We Won’t Go Quietly 2025 UK tour.
When Theroux questioned whether Vylan stood by the chant and would repeat it, he replied: “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.
“If that can be my contribution and if I can have my Palestinian friends and people that I meet from Palestine, that have had to flee, that have lost members in double digits of their family and they can say, yo, your chant, I love it. Or it gave me a breath of fresh air or whatever.”
Louis Theroux has been contacted by PA for comment.
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