Watch: ISKCON devotees chant Hare Krishna outside KFC outlet to protest YouTuber’s prank

While the YouTuber, ‘Cenzo’, has apologised for the prank, X user @bhaktSenapati posted a video online showing ISKCON devotees protesting outside a KFC outlet, reportedly in New York. The post reads, “They come to our restaurants to harass us, & we come to uplift their consciousness. Hare Kṛṣṇa.”

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

The controversy began after ‘Cenzo’, an YouTuber entered the ISKCON-run restaurant and consumed KFC while recording the act as a prank.

Following backlash, the YouTuber issued a public apology, stating, “If I had known that the restaurant was with the temple, I would have never filmed that prank and left. I stepped over the line and began to eat chicken in a vegan restaurant which was associated with the Hindu community. My actions were ill-timed and irresponsible.”

The man allegedly taunted staff members even after being cautioned, an act that was widely condemned online for being offensive to the spiritual and dietary norms of the ISKCON community.

Several netizens replied to the post by Senapati and while some showed their support, others slammed the form of protest. One user wrote, “what a wonderful way to protest. Though KFC directly didn’t do it, an insane customer did. But message delivered.”

Another said, “Great way to engage negative people and influence positively.” A third wrote, “KFC se order laane wale ki galti thi KFC ki nhi (KFC was not at fault, a person who ordered from KFC was at fault).”