Latest news with #African-British
NDTV
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- NDTV
Watch: ISKCON Devotees Chant 'Hare Krishna' Outside KFC In Response To YouTuber's Prank Video
A controversy erupted after a video surfaced online showing a young African-British man eating chicken inside ISKCON's Govinda restaurant in London, a well-known pure vegetarian eatery. The clip quickly went viral, drawing widespread criticism on social media. The man later issued an apology, claiming he was unaware of the restaurant's religious significance and admitted the prank was in poor taste. Despite the apology, internet users slammed the act as disrespectful and labelled it racist for disregarding the establishment's spiritual ethos. Now, just days after the incident, another video is making waves online - this time showing ISKCON devotees standing outside a KFC outlet, chanting "Hare Rama Hare Krishna". The moment, shared on X, is being dubbed by users as the "coolest revenge." "They come to our restaurants to harass us, & we come to uplift their consciousness," the caption of the post read. Watch the video below: They come to our restaurants to harass us, & we come to uplift their consciousness. 🙌 Hare Kṛṣṇa — Senāpati Bhakta (@bhaktSenapati) July 22, 2025 The clip shows ISKCON devotees chanting the lord's name as a response to the man's act and spreading the message of choosing consciousness over rage. Separately, ISKCON released an official statement addressing the incident. "We forgive and sincerely pray for the perpetrators of this undignified act, who, due to ignorance, are probably unaware or simply don't care about the pain they are causing by making such childish videos," the statement read. Official statement from ISKCON London due to recent social media influencer incident at Govinda's Restaurant, Soho Street, London. — ISKCON London Radha-Krishna Temple (@iskconlondon) July 21, 2025 The African-British man has been identified as YouTuber 'Cenzo'. In his apology, Cenzo claimed he was unaware of the restaurant's religious links, despite being seen near the ISKCON temple just minutes before entering Govinda's. He admitted the act was a misguided attempt at humour and has since removed the video. ISKCON, or the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, is a spiritual organisation founded in 1966 by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. It is based on the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita and the ancient Vedic scriptures of India. ISKCON's primary focus is on promoting Krishna consciousness, a devotion-based practice that emphasises love, compassion, and self-realisation. The latest incident triggered discussions about the responsibilities of content creators, cultural respect in multicultural societies, and the impact of prank culture on community harmony.
NDTV
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- NDTV
British YouTuber Apologises After Eating Chicken Inside ISKCON London Restaurant
British YouTuber 'Cenzo' has released an apology after a video of him eating chicken from KFC inside ISKCON's Govinda's Restaurant in London went viral, triggering public outrage. The popular vegetarian eatery is part of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) and follows strict religious dietary practices that exclude meat. In the video, Cenzo, who is of African descent, enters the premises, asks if meat is served, and upon learning that it isn't, proceeds to eat his own takeaway chicken meal at a table inside. He even offers the non-vegetarian food to nearby patrons and staff, visibly unsettling them. The incident escalated until he was removed from the premises by staff. Watch The Full Apology Video Here The power of social media on full display- British influencer Cenzo has issued a public apology to the Hindu community and ISKCON after facing massive backlash for his prank at the temple's restaurant in London, where he ate chicken. And to those who told me to, 'just ignore it'… — Meru (@MeruBhaiya) July 22, 2025 Critics slammed the act as disrespectful, calling it a deliberate provocation and a possible act of religious intolerance. Many social media users accused Cenzo of mocking a sacred space and disregarding its dietary rules, with some going so far as to call it a form of cultural or racial insensitivity. Watch the Video That Sparked Outrage: Horrendous. 😳😡 This African-British youth entered into ISKCON's Govinda restaurant - knowingly that it's pure Veg restaurant - asked if there's meat available, then pulled out his KFC box and not only ate chicken (chewed like a 🐷), but also offered others working/eating in… — Tathvam-asi (@ssaratht) July 19, 2025 In his apology, Cenzo claimed he was unaware of the restaurant's religious links, despite being seen near the ISKCON temple just minutes before entering Govinda's. He admitted the act was a misguided attempt at humour and has since removed the video. The incident has reignited discussions about the responsibilities of content creators, cultural respect in multicultural societies, and the impact of prank culture on community harmony.
Deccan Herald
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Deccan Herald
WATCH: Man eats KFC chicken inside ISKCON's veg restaurant in London; viral video sparks outrage
Shameless African-British man forcibly eats chicken at ISKCON Govinda's restaurant in London. MAN (Enters): Only veg food here? STAFF: Yes, only vegetarian food. What would you like? Then he pulled out KFC chicken and began eating it inside — Sumit (@SumitHansd) July 20, 2025
Mint
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Mint
African man enrages netizens as he eats chicken inside ISKCON's Govinda restaurant in London: ‘Hindus have to act rough'
An African-British man has stirred a controversy online as he 'shamelessly' ate chicken at London's Govinda restaurant, a well-known pure vegetarian restaurant operated by ISKCON. Enraged by the act, netizens have called for Hindus to unite and start acting rough and tough. In the viral video being widely criticised, the man can be seen walking into the restaurant and asking the staff if they serve meat at their purely vegetarian outlet. However, after they informed him that the restaurant only served vegetarian food, the man pulled out a takeaway box of KFC chicken and began eating it at the counter. He is also seen offering the chicken to the staff and customers. The video has triggered strong reactions from social media users, who have called it a blatant disrespect of the restaurant's spiritual and cultural values. Amid calls for action against the man, several users also questioned why the Hindus did not stand up for themselves. 'Such behaviour is entirely inappropriate and disruptive, showing a complete disregard for the sanctity of the space and the feelings of those present. It highlights a troubling lack of empathy,' said a user. 'Hindus can run away from India but will still get pushed around. We need to have shatrubodh and community unity. Then push back strongly,' a user said, adding, 'Hindus have to act rough and tough.' 'This is the problem with Hinduism. Your benevolence is being taken as weakness,' said another user. Another added, 'Anyone can come and insult the religion, why can't Hindus stand up for themselves and form a deep state of their own in the US just like the Jews did to influence US policies and decision making?' 'So why did not the COWARDLY HINDUS give him a SOUND THRASHING, eh?' asked an angry netizen. 'Walking into a temple canteen with chicken isn't rebellion — it's cultural illiteracy served with zero self-respect,' another added. A few users also used Lord Krishna references while calling for an action against the man. 'Devotees should follow Lord Krishna's policy. Namely, being nice to sādhus, and kicking butt of all such dushtas. This blanket unconditional humility and submissiveness didn't work in Dwāpara, and definitely won't work in Kaliyuga. (It didn't work in Tretā either, btw)' a user said. 'Slit his throat right there. Even LORD Shri Krishna said... If they want WAR give them WAR,' added another. A user also claimed that the act was purely done for a few likes on social media, and said, 'These are insects in the society, doing anything to get engagement on social media and look cool. This is a virus that is going to destroy generations to come.' 'Apart from horrendous, what is he trying to do and why? Is he offended that people can be vegetarians? Or are people waiting to use or misuse someone that doesn't know what they're doing?' asked another user.
Time of India
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Badshah slams man eating non-veg at an ISKON-operated restaurant? Says, ‘Even the chicken would be embarrassed'
Recently, a video has been doing the rounds on social media, where an African-British man is seen eating chicken in a pure vegetarian restaurant operated by ISKCON. This video has led to massive outrage as it hurt the religious sentiments of people. A lot of people have strongly condemned the man's actions and called them completely insensitive. And now it appears that singer-rapper Badshah has also strongly criticised the act. Though he didn't clearly mention the incident, in his recent post on X, Badshah's words seem to be directed toward the same video. What happened at the restaurant? In the clip, which has been going viral, one can see a man entering the ISKON-operated pure veg restaurant and asking the staff if they serve meat. When he is told that the whole venue is strictly vegetarian, he pulls out a box of chicken from his bag, places it over the counter, and starts eating at the spot. He allegedly offered the chicken to the customers at the restaurant, which made a lot of people visibly uneasy. Even after being requested to leave, the man persisted with his disruptive behavior until security was summoned. Although he was eventually escorted out, he managed to create a scene before departing. Badshah's tweet slamming the incident On Sunday, July 20, Badshah took to his X and wrote, 'Even the chicken would be embarrassed. Dude wasn't hungry for chicken, he was hungry for some 🩴 on that face." 'True strength is in respecting what you don't understand," he concluded. Badshah's remarks struck a chord with numerous users who praised him for addressing the situation while emphasizing the significance of cultural respect. Although the identity of the individual in the video has not been verified, the response has been rapid and widespread. Followers of ISKCON and members of the public have voiced their discontent, with some proposing the idea of pursuing legal action.
