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Gen Z protests
Worldwide political activities of Generation Z From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Gen Z protests have occurred in many different countries since the 2010s. The protests in Bangladesh in 2024 are widely cited as the first successful Gen Z revolution in the world,[1][2][3][4] inspiring similar Gen Z-led protests in other Asian countries including Nepal, Indonesia, Philippines, Timor-Leste, and the Maldives,[5][6][7][8][9] as well as in other parts of the world. The protests begun in Asia, in what has been described as the Asian Spring, but in 2025, the protests spread to Africa and other places. To date, the earliest known use of the term was in an opinion piece by French market research company Ipsos, which was named "OK boomer!" and published on 8 December 2019, referring to the Fridays for Future 2019 protests.[10][11]
Although the causes of the protests are different in each country, they have generally been in response to inequality, declining standards of living, corruption, democratic backsliding and authoritarianism. Social media has been a common tool for activism and coordination. Some protests, like in Bangladesh and Nepal, have resulted in the overthrow of national governments.
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Background
Some of the first political unrest Generation Z experienced was related to the Great Recession and later into adulthood of some, issues surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.[12]
Causes
The demonstrations have had a myriad of causes, varying from country to country. However, they generally relate to dissatisfaction with ruling governments, economic turmoil, and a large, disaffected, often unemployed youth population[13] that experienced declining standards of living due to difficulty accessing basic utilities and resources.[6][14][15] Rising social inequality has also been described as forming the common thread of the protests around the world,[12][16] ultimately feeling unrepresented by the political establishment while still respecting democratic values.[17] Climate change has also contributed to some political activism from Generation Z.[12]
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History
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Background
Gen Z mobilization (2010–2017)
Gen Z political mobilization started to be recorded as early as in 2010. The earliest known example is during the 2010 United Kingdom student protests when the police reportedly stopped and searched two protesters who were 11 year old twins in an unlawful manner,[18] and it was reported that a significant percentage of other people at the protests were also part of Gen Z.[19] The British police also confessed detaining numerous children who were part of the protests for up to 6 hours, some, once again as young as 11 years old.[20] One year later, during the 2011 UK riots, a 11-year-old boy was arrested over the riots, and a 11-year-old girl was also arrested for her own involvement in the riots.[21][22]
In 2013, during the Gezi Park protests, Berkin Elvan, a 15 year old, was struck in the head by a tear-gas canister fired by a police officer in Istanbul leading to his death.[23] Following his death, various protests by children were observed; for example, During National Sovereignty and Children's Day, four kids who held a banner and chanted slogans were taken into custody by police officers.[24][25][26][27] It is worth noting however, that the average age during the Gezi Park protests was 28.[28]
In October 2015, reports by the U.S Embassy in Lima reported a Gen Z group planned, organized and pursued a minor protest, culminating in a March to Congress. The action was a part of the 2015 Peruvian protests against Las Bambas mining project.[29]
In December 2017, in an article by Americas Quarterly, it was noted that, whilst the main drives of political change within Paraguayan politics at the time were from Generation X, a presence of younger activists was noted.[30]
During the 2017–2018 Russian protests, Gen Z became more politically active and actively participated to the protests, despite not leading it.[31]
Gen Z movements (2018–2023)
Since the late 2010s, members of Generation Z have led protests around the world in what some called the "Gen Z Movement".[32] The very first recorded Gen-Z led movement was March for Our Lives, a Gen-Z, student led movement and organization which saw its formation in March 2018.[33] Other Gen Z Movements around this time include #NoBoundaries5, a sexual movement which begun in 2019.[34] Fridays for Future, which started on 20 August 2018,[33] was the first instance in which a series of protests was ever defined as "Gen Z protests", specifically by an article, published on 8 December 2019 called "Ok Boomer!" and published by Ipsos,[10] coining the term.
Nationwide Gen Z protests are recorded as early as in 2020, with the term being used to describe the 2020–2021 Thai protests.[35] In 2022, the Aragalaya protest occurred, leading to the overthrowal of the Sri Lankan government.
Gen Z protests (2024–present)
The protests in Bangladesh in 2024 are widely cited as the first successful Gen Z revolution in the world,[1][2][3][4] inspiring similar Gen Z-led protests in other Asian countries including Nepal, Indonesia, Philippines, Timor-Leste, and the Maldives.[36][6][8][9] The term was later used to describe the 2024 Kenya Finance Bill protests, a largely youth-led mass protest movement against a controversial tax hike.[37]
The term garnered wider global popularity following the ousting of the Nepali government in 2025 and a string of concurrent protests that occurred around and after it.[36][failed verification] The global wave of demonstrations then reached further with similar youth-led protests springing up in Madagascar and Morocco.[38] In September, an unpopular pension reform and corruption scandals further sparked a self-styled "Gen Z march" in Lima, Peru.[39] The Gen Z protests had thus by that month reached the continents of Asia, Africa, and South America.[40] At the end of September, Italian media noted the large involvement of Gen Z protesters in the country's general strikes and protests for Gaza.[41][42][43] By the beginning of October, the year 2025 was even described as a potential "year of the protest", a title that was previously applied to the year 2019.[16]
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Methods
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Social media
Members of Generation Z, who grew up in the age of the Internet,[44] have commonly used social media as a platform to organize and coordinate protests.[40][45][46] Protestors in Morocco and Nepal frequently communicated via the messaging platform Discord,[47][48] and other apps like Instagram, TikTok and Telegram have also been noted as platforms for communication and spreading awareness.[17]
While previous protests in Nepal were initially peaceful or online, a government ban on social media in September 2025 spurred direct action as Gen Z protestors claimed the ban as censorship. The protestors spread short videos on Facebook and TikTok alleging corruption and nepotism.[49] In Morocco, the "GenZ 212" Discord server surged from 3,000 members to over 150,000 by 2 October, showing the rapid spread of the movement among youth.[50] Online coordination, in particular using Discord, was also used for a follow-up political process in the Nepalese case: the online election of a temporary prime minister for a transitionary period.[51][52]
Symbols
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In various Gen Z protests, the Straw Hat Pirates' Jolly Roger from the manga series One Piece has been used as an international symbol of solidarity.[53][54] This flag was first used in the protests in Indonesia.[55][56]
The first and the earliest use of the Straw Hat Pirate flag in protest activity in real-life world, was in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, in October 2023 when thousands of Indonesians protest the Gaza war and Gaza crisis.[57] Almost two years later, student protesters in Indonesia had begun flying the flag again in February 2025.[58] The flag came into prominence during the 2025 Indonesian anti-government protests which started in the weeks leading up to Indonesia Independence Day on 17 August.[59]
In Nepal, when the government of K. P. Sharma Oli was toppled in Nepal, protesters hung the flag at the gates of the Singha Durbar palace as it burned.[53][60] It has also been used in the Philippines,[61] Peru,[56] and Madagascar.[62][45] The response to the use of the Straw Hat flag has been harsh, with an Indonesian lawmaker saying it was an attempt to divide national unity and another suggesting it could amount to treason,[61] drawing criticism from Amnesty International.[54]
In Southeast Asian countries, other pop culture symbols have been used to signal defiance as well, among them references to Harry Potter and the three-finger salute from The Hunger Games.[61] Raqib Naik, director of the Center for the Study of Organized Hate, said "I think we are entering a new era of organizing that draws heavily from digital, pop and gaming culture, creating a common vocabulary".[63]
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Demonstrations described as Gen Z protests
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Ongoing protests
Successful protests, government overthrown or changed
Protests successful, government applied the desired reform
Failed protests
Ended
Ongoing
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See also
Notes
- The authenticity of the protests as a grassroots youth movement is disputed by Infodemia, the government's fact-checking agency.[92][93] The Associated Press noted that "[t]he demonstration was first called by Generation Z, but opposition parties later urged supporters to join, bringing out more government critics than young people."
References
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