British YouTuber apologises for eating chicken inside ISKCON London restaurant

Indian Express

13 hours ago

British YouTuber 'Cenzo' released an apology after a video of him eating chicken inside Govinda's, a vegetarian restaurant run by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in London, sparked massive outrage on social media.
The video shows Cenzo, who is of African descent, entering the premises and asking the staff if meat was served. On being informed that the eatery only offers vegetarian food, he pulled out a box of chicken and began eating inside the restaurant.
Visibly unsettling, the British YouTuber can be seen offering the non-vegetarian food to the staff and patrons, making everyone around uncomfortable.
On being asked to leave, he continued eating, prompting the security to remove him from the premises.
The act drew widespread condemnation on social media. Many users questioned the motive behind it, with some describing it as an intentional insult to Hindu dietary and religious values.
'I stepped over the line,' admits London YouTuber after receiving backlash
After receiving backlash for his 'prank', Cenzo admitted that he was visiting all the vegan restaurants in the area as a part of a video series for his YouTube channel.
'If I had known that the restaurant was with the temple, I would have never filmed that prank and left,' he said.
He said that he contacted the restaurant and planned a visit to apologise in person for his actions.
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'… pic.twitter.com/XBTMAdxGbO
— Meru (@MeruBhaiya) July 22, 2025
The YouTuber acknowledged that his actions were 'ill-timed and irresponsible' and, upon researching the Hindu community, he realised that his 'prank' deeply offended their values.
'They believe in no violence and peaceful behaviours towards animals and people. My actions came off as offensive to the community, and I would like to offer heartfelt, sincere apologies,' he said.
'God knows what they must be going through, seeing themselves all over social media over something that I would call a joke, but in reality, it was not a joke,' he added.
'We forgive and sincerely pray for the perpetrators': ISKCON
ISKCON released a statement saying that it has forgiven the 'perpetrators of this undignified act' and sincerely prays for them.
'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. pic.twitter.com/cgWHs575FS
— ISKCON London Radha-Krishna Temple (@iskconlondon) July 21, 2025
Devotees chant 'Hare Krishna' outside KFC
Following the incident, a clip of devotees chanting 'Hare Rama Hare Krishna' outside a KFC outlet is taking the internet by storm, with netizens calling it the 'coolest revenge'.
The caption of the video read, 'They come to our restaurants to harass us, & we come to uplift their consciousness.'
The devotees can be seen spreading the message of choosing consciousness over rage in response to Cenzo's 'prank'.
They come to our restaurants to harass us, & we come to uplift their consciousness. 🙌 Hare Kṛṣṇa pic.twitter.com/7dQm5D42qx
— Senāpati Bhakta (@bhaktSenapati) July 22, 2025
ISKCON, a global spiritual organisation founded in 1966 by AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, promotes Krishna consciousness and a vegetarian lifestyle based on the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita and Vedic scriptures. Its restaurants, including Govinda's, serve only pure vegetarian meals as part of its religious observance.