Watch: African-British man slammed for eating chicken at London's vegetarian ISKCON restaurant

Mint

a day ago

A controversy has erupted online after a video surfaced showing a man consuming chicken food inside Govinda's, a well-known pure vegetarian restaurant operated by ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) in London.
The man, believed to be of African-British descent, reportedly walked into the restaurant and asked staff if they served meat. When informed that only vegetarian food is offered, he allegedly pulled out a takeaway box of chicken—reportedly from KFC—and began eating it inside the premises. He is also seen offering non-vegetarian food to both customers and staff.
The video, which has now gone viral, has triggered strong reactions across social media platforms. Many users expressed anger over what they viewed as blatant disrespect towards the restaurant's spiritual and cultural values.
'This wasn't just ignorance—it was intentional disrespect,' one user wrote.
"Shameful Act, he intentionally ate Chicken to offend or trigger Vegans. He Got Lucky to get away without anyone slapping him," another user wrote.
Others questioned whether the act was motivated by racism or religious intolerance.
"The intentional violation of a cultural and religious norm in this manner is a clear demonstration of intolerance that cannot be tolerated in any civilised society," a user commented.
"Hope the complaint was filed in the local police station … Don't know if he can be arrested for this or not but this is pure hate towards Hindus and he is fully aware that Hindus won't retaliate so dared to do such a horrendous thing," the fifth wrote.
ISKCON, which operates several vegetarian and vegan restaurants globally, is rooted in Hindu traditions that strictly prohibit the consumption of meat. The incident has reignited conversations about cultural sensitivity, freedom of expression, and the need for mutual respect in multicultural societies.
So far, there has been no official statement from ISKCON London regarding the incident.