British Youth Who Ate KFC Chicken at ISKCON London Restaurant Apologises | Image:
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A British youth of African descent, who sparked outrage after eating KFC chicken inside ISKCON’s Govinda restaurant in London, has issued a public apology, admitting that his prank was “ill-timed and irresponsible.”
The incident unfolded at the Soho-based Govinda’s, a well-known pure vegetarian restaurant linked to the Hare Krishna movement, when the young man entered the premises and asked if they served meat. After being informed the restaurant was strictly vegetarian, he pulled out a box of chicken from KFC and began eating it inside, even offering it to staff and patrons. The act caused visible discomfort, leading to security being called and the youth being escorted out due to his disruptive behaviour.
The incident quickly went viral, drawing widespread criticism and raising concerns over whether the act was motivated by racism or religious insensitivity.
In a video statement posted recently, the youth addressed the backlash and expressed remorse for his actions.
“Now recently, I’m sure you guys have seen clips of me doing a prank where I went to vegan restaurants and started eating meat. Among the restaurants I visited, there was one where I stepped over the line by eating chicken in a vegan restaurant that had a Hindu-associated community,” he said.
He acknowledged that after researching ISKCON’s principles of non-violence and their deep religious connection to vegetarianism, he realised how offensive his actions were to the community. “My actions were ill-timed and irresponsible,” he admitted, adding, “I want to offer a heartfelt, sincere apology for what I did.”
He also addressed rumours that he had entered a Hindu temple with chicken, clarifying that while he is of Christian faith, he would never intentionally disrespect any religion. “As shown in the clip, when I realised I was walking into the temple, I immediately understood I had no business being in such a religious place. I took myself out of the situation, apologised, and then went to the vegan restaurant where I intended to film my prank,” he clarified.
The youth further stated that if he had known the restaurant was connected to the temple, he would have never filmed the prank there. He shared that he has since reached out to the restaurant and plans to visit in person to apologise directly to the staff.
“I don’t think I could continue calling myself a good person while knowing that, even if it was unintentional, I upset and offended a large community and said nothing about it,” he said.
Addressing content creators commenting on the controversy, he urged them not to exploit the situation for views, reminding them that people’s religious beliefs are not a matter for jokes.
Temple president Dayal Mora Dasa branded the video as “childish” and linked the incident to the lack of spiritual education in Britain. “If the truth of the Gita could be taught at schools and universities then such wanton acts of aggression against innocent persons would cease,” he said in ISKCON’s official statement.
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