ISKCON's Govinda's reports social media influencer eating KFC inside Soho restaurant to police

LONDON: Police are investigating after a young black male YouTuber waltzed into the famous Govinda’s vegan and vegetarian restaurant in Soho on Saturday, pulled out a tub of KFC and started eating chicken in front of horrified staff and guests.

The restaurant is run by ISKCON UK’s Radha-Krishna Temple in Soho.

Temple president Dayal Mora Dasa has branded the video made by the man, since identified as a TikTok personality, as “childish” and blamed the incident on the lack of spiritual content in Britain’s education system. “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.

The man went into the canteen-style restaurant — often frequented by Indian students — at lunch-time and asked the Krishna devotees working there if it was a vegan restaurant. They replied “Yes. It’s a temple.” He asked, “Are you sure there is no meat” and then opened up a bucket of KFC and ate the chicken fillets, offering them around, shouting “Free the chicken”.

A video of the incident went viral, offending Hindus worldwide, with some offering to pay to privately prosecute the man if police don’t.

Govinda’s has reported the incident to the police.

Dasa said: “Srila Prabhupada established temple communities in many major world cities, often in some of the most degraded and dilapidated areas, because that is where the people needed his message the most. Soho street was and still is a red-light district in London and unmentionable deplorable acts are unfortunately visible every evening. Once on a British TV show the reporter asked Swamiji, ‘Do you have a concept of hell in your religion?’ ‘Yes,’ Prabhupada replied. ‘London is hell.’”

“Religious leaders and govt heads have as yet failed to come up with a solution for the degradation of society, particularly amongst the youth. Due to insufficient spiritual content in their education and poor role models in society, young people are now deriving happiness from other people's misery…The incident in Govinda’s was one of countless incidents… filmed and posted on social media for the morbid enjoyment of viewers and followers…,” he said.

Restaurant manager Thirupati Gauranga Dasa said it was a “clear act of provocation”. “Since 1969, Govinda’s has served as a spiritual sanctuary within the ISKCON tradition, offering karma-free meals. Bringing and consuming meat inside the premises was fundamentally misaligned with the sacred purpose of the space.”