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. 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.
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]
Since the late 2010s, members of Generation Z have led protests around the world in what some called the "Gen Z Movement".[18] 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.[19] Other Gen Z Movements around this time include #NoBoundaries5, a sexual movement which begun in 2019.[20] One of the most important of such movements, labelled as a Gen Z Movement is Fridays for Future, which started on 20 August 2018,[19][21] was even 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.
Gen Z protests (2020 - Ongoing)
Nationwide Gen Z protests are recorded as early as in 2020, with the term being used to describe the 2020-2021 Thai protests.[22]
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.[23][failed verification] The global wave of demonstrations then reached further with similar youth-led protests springing up in Madagascar and Morocco.[26] In September, an unpopular pension reform and corruption scandals further sparked a self-styled "Gen Z march" in Lima, Peru.[27] The Gen Z protests had thus by that month reached the continents of Asia, Africa, and South America.[28] 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.[29][30][31] 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.[16]
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.[37] 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.[38] 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.[39][40]
Symbols
A flag from the manga series One Piece is a frequent symbol of solidarity in the protests.
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.[45] Almost two years later, student protesters in Indonesia had begun flying the flag again in February 2025.[46] 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.[47]
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.[41][48] It has also been used in the Philippines,[49] Peru,[44] and Madagascar.[50][33] 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,[49] drawing criticism from Amnesty International.[42]
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.[49]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".[51]
Demonstrations described as Gen Z protests
Ongoing protests
Successful protests, government overthrown or changed
Protests successful, government applied the desired reform
1 2 Insolia, Mattia. "La marea umana di Milano per Gaza: «Vi aiutiamo noi a definire bambino»". Domani (in Italian). Archived from the original on 3 October 2025. Retrieved 8 October 2025. [THE GEN Z There are many high school students, university students. Many have a kefiah around their necks or Luffy's flag from One Piece, the manga; it is the symbol of Gen Z for protests about Palestine. ... They are between sixteen and nineteen years old and, aware that the future is theirs - that the future is theirs -, they took to the streets because they don't want it, this world that previous generations insist on trying to stick in their heads.]
1 2 Maggioni, Roberto (5 October 2025). "Un movimento che in pochi hanno visto arrivare e con cui tutti si dovranno confrontare". Radio Popolare (in Italian). Archived from the original on 29 October 2025. Retrieved 8 October 2025. [The anger against the genocide has blown up the cap of Italian political and social immobility. ... These days will remain in history especially if we look at them through the eyes of Gen Z, the generation of those under 25 years old, a generation that thought was closed in post-Covid hardship and that, instead, is occupying public space and is speaking, without leaders or organizations already structured.]
1 2 Moro, Elisabetta (3 October 2025). "Avere vent'anni e scendere in piazza: gli studenti occupano le università e i licei per Gaza". Cosmopolitan (in Italian). Archived from the original on 3 October 2025. Retrieved 8 October 2025. [The protests of Gen Z in Nepal, Morocco, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Peru to demand less corrupt governments. ... And now in Europe, and especially in Italy, the occupied universities and the protests after the Israeli army blocked the mission of the Global Sumud Flotilla. All over the world, young people are making their voices heard, they are invading the streets, creating unrest, asking to be heard.]
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