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Gen Z protests

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Gen Z protests
Bangladeshi protests
Moroccan protests
Nepalese protests
Peruvian protests
Philippine protests
Italian protests
DateEarly 2020s–present
Location
Worldwide
Caused by
Methods
Resulted inSee Demonstrations described as Gen Z protests

The Gen Z protests have occurred in many different countries since the 2010s. This trend of widespread demonstrations with significant political consequences began with the Aragalaya (or Struggle) movement in Sri Lanka in 2022.[1] The 2025 Nepalese Gen Z protests popularized the term "Gen Z protests" and inspired further Gen Z protests in Asia. Days later, similar protests spread to Africa, Europe, and South America. 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.[2]

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.

Background

See also: Political views of Generation Z

Some of the first political unrest Generation Z (people born between the mid-1990s and the early 2010s) experienced was related to the Great Recession and later into adulthood of some, issues surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.[3]

Causes

See also: Youth bulge

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[4] that experienced declining standards of living due to difficulty accessing basic utilities and resources.[4][5][6] Rising social inequality has also been described as forming the common thread of the protests around the world,[3][7] ultimately feeling unrepresented by the political establishment while still respecting democratic values.[8] Climate change has also contributed to some political activism from Generation Z.[3]

History

See also: Gen Z protests in Asia

Since the late 2010s, members of Generation Z have led protests around the world in what some called the "Gen Z Movement".[9] The Gen Z protests in Asia, also called "Asian Spring" in reference to the Arab Spring, were identified by Le Monde as having begun with the Aragalaya, a series of Sri Lankan protests in 2022.[1] 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.[10]

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.[11][failed verification] The global wave of demonstrations then reached further with similar youth-led protests springing up in Madagascar and Morocco.[12] In September, an unpopular pension reform and corruption scandals further sparked a self-styled "Gen Z march" in Lima, Peru.[13] The Gen Z protests had thus by that month reached the continents of Asia, Africa, and South America.[14] 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.[15][16][17] By the beginning of October 2025 was even described as a potential "year of the protest", a title that was previously applied to the year 2019.[7]

Methods

Social media

Members of Generation Z, who grew up in the age of the Internet,[18] have commonly used social media as a platform to organize and coordinate protests.[14][19][20] Protestors in Morocco and Nepal frequently communicated via the messaging platform Discord,[21][22] and other apps like Instagram, TikTok and Telegram have also been noted as platforms for communication and spreading awareness.[8]

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.[23] 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.[24] Online coordination, in particular using Discord, was also used for a followup political process in the Nepalese case: the online election of a temporary prime minister for a transitionary period.[25][26]

Symbols

A flag from the manga series One Piece is a frequent symbol of solidarity in the protests.

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.[27][28] This flag was first used in the protests in Indonesia.[29][30]

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.[31] Almost two years later, student protesters in Indonesia had begun flying the flag again in February 2025.[32] 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.[33]

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.[27][34] It has also been used in the Philippines,[35] Peru,[30] and Madagascar.[36][19] 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,[35] drawing criticism from Amnesty International.[28]

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.[35] 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".[37]

In Turkey, Pikachu, the mascot of the Pokemon franchise, became a symbol of the local Gen Z protests after a video of someone dressed as Pikachu fleeing from the Turkish police during protests went viral.[38][39][40]

Demonstrations described as Gen Z protests

Ended

Country Duration Cause(s) Results Outcome Ref.
2020
Thailand 2020–2021 Thai protests

February 2020 – December 2021

Failed
  • "Severe" state of emergency declared in Bangkok from 15–22 October 2020
  • Protesters' demands, including calls for constitutional amendment, failed.
  • Constitutional Court rules that proposing reform of the monarchy is unconstitutional and amounts to acting to overthrow it
 E Major protests [41]
2022
Sri Lanka Aragalaya
15 March – 14 November 2022 		Successful E Government overthrown [42]
Iran Mahsa Amini protests
16 September 2022 – 2023 		Failed
  • Hundreds of people killed and tens of thousands beaten and/or detained in government crackdown
 E Major protests [43][44][45]
2024
Kenya Kenya Finance Bill protests
18 June – 8 August 2024 		Successful
  • Finance bill is unsigned and revoked
 E Major protests [11]
Bangladesh July Revolution
1 July – 5 August 2024 		Successful E Government overthrown [42]
Mozambique 2024–2025 Mozambican protests
11 October 2024 – 24 March 2025 		Failed
  • Daniel Chapo inaugurated 15 January
  • Chapo and Mondlane reach amnesty agreement for protesters 23 March
 E Major protests [46][47][48][49][46][47][48][49][46][47][48][49]E
2025
  Nepal 2025 Nepalese Gen Z protests
8–13 September 2025 		Successful E Government overthrown [14]
Timor-Leste 2025 Timor-Leste protests
15–17 September 2025
  • Proposed US$4 million budget to buy 65 new cars for members of parliament
 Successful
  • Purchase of cars canceled
  • Pensions ended for former MPs
 C Protests and governmental changes [50]
Madagascar 2025 Malagasy protests
25 September – 14 October 2025
  • Standards of living
 Successful E Government overthrown [14]

Ongoing

Country Duration Cause(s) Results Ref.
Since 2024
Serbia 2024–present Serbian anti-corruption protests
1 November 2024 – present 		Ongoing [51]
Since 2025
Indonesia 2025 Indonesian protests
17 February 2025 – present 		Ongoing [14]
Togo 2025 Togolese Gen Z protests
5 June 2025 – present
  • Arrest of the rapper Aamron
  • Unwanted constitutional reforms
  • Youth unemployment
  • Lack of democratic participation
  • Bad living conditions
  • High electricity costs
 Ongoing [52][53][54]
Philippines 2025 Philippine anti-corruption protests
4 September 2025 – present 		Ongoing [14][55][56]
France Bloquons tout
10 September 2025 – present 		Ongoing [57][58][59]
Italy 2025 Italian general strikes and protests for Gaza
19 September 2025 – present 		Ongoing [15][16][17]
 Switzerland
San Marino [60]
Maldives 2025 Maldivian protests
20 September 2025 – present 		Ongoing [61][62]
Peru 2025 Peruvian protests
20 September 2025 – present 		Ongoing [13]
Morocco 2025 Moroccan Gen Z protests
27 September 2025 – present 		Ongoing
  • Government raises healthcare and education spending to $15 billion in the 2026 budget, up 16% from the prior year
 [14][63]
Paraguay 2025 Paraguayan protests
28 September 2025 – present 		Ongoing [64]
Cameroon 2025 Cameroonian protests
12 October 2025 – present 		Ongoing [65][66]
Tanzania 2025 Tanzanian election protests

29 October 2025 – present

Ongoing [67]

See also

References

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