Gen Z Youth Uprisings Sweep the Globe in 2025, Toppling Governments and Challenging Inequality
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Gen Z protests from Nepal to Peru, Morocco and Madagascar gained global attention in 2025 as young people carrying the skull and crossbones symbol in a straw hat confronted authorities and, in some cases, pushed governments out of power. Although Gen Z is usually defined as those born between the late 1990s and late 2000s, the term became linked to a wider wave of youth rebellion driven by unemployment, poverty and inequality. Across Latin America, Asia and Africa, where the UN notes that 60 percent of the population is under 25, young people mobilised in large numbers and reshaped national conversations.
AFP journalists observed the emblem inspired by the popular Japanese manga series “One Piece” at protests in more than a dozen countries. In Madagascar and Nepal, the uprisings resulted in the collapse of their governments. A 26-year-old protester in Madagascar who identified only as Kai shared, “I grew up with ‘One Piece’, like the vast majority of Gen Z, so it became a symbol for us.” Kai added that it represented resistance against “oppressive governments.”
How Did Youth Movements Shift From Local Issues to a Global Push?
While youth activism has appeared in previous decades, University of Montreal sociologist Cecile Van de Velde highlighted that the Gen Z movement stood out because of its use of platforms like Discord, Instagram and TikTok. These tools allowed young people to mobilise in real time and bring other social groups into the conversation. Van de Velde noted that the uprising was shaped by local frustrations yet carried an ambition to become “the new face of a global and generational revolt.”
The protests in Madagascar followed those in Nepal in September 2025. Spokesman Elliot Randriamandrato said, “Nepal paved the way. We saw what happened, the flag raised, the links made with ‘One Piece’.” He added, “And we said to ourselves: that’s it, enough is enough.” Although each country was responding to its own challenges, the common thread was frustration with unmet needs. Indonesian youth protested low wages, unemployment and police violence. In Nepal, corruption and social media bans fuelled the movement. Madagascar’s young people rallied against chronic electricity and water shortages. In Morocco, the focus was inequality in education and health, while in Kenya protests centred on new taxes.
Van de Velde explained that these demonstrations reflected a desire to protect essential needs such as health, security and political representation. She said the protests represented a stand against “the plundering and abuses of governments and the economic and political oligarchy that governs them.”
What Results Have Gen Z Movements Achieved So Far?
As the protests quieted toward the end of the year, the outcomes varied. In Madagascar, the army took control after the president fled and formed a government dominated by political insiders, disappointing many young activists. In Nepal, however, Discord users selected an interim prime minister who established a commission to investigate the deaths of young people during the protests.
Morocco saw some commitments to improve health care and education, although more than 2,400 people faced prosecution, including over 1,400 detained by late October. Despite being organised at the activist core, many movements struggled to convert their momentum into structured political plans, partly due to their spontaneous and decentralised nature. The protests also encountered significant police repression across several countries.
In Nepal, a protester named Yujan Rajbhandari said the movement had entered its second phase ahead of elections scheduled for March 2026. He explained that alongside the fight against corruption, activists were working to encourage voter registration and added, “We won’t stop.”
Source AFP
By Lucky Anyanje
