Rising Tide of the Youth: Can Gen Z Protests Topple Corrupt Elites?

‘Blocchiamo Tutto’

Despite the first autumn downpours, the largest Italian cities were still scorching of heat in September. Streets, schools, railway stations and ports became epicenters of anger channeled by masses of twenty-something year olds, rallying for Gaza. The popular movement to bloccare tutto - block everything - spilled over the entire country, resulting in nationwide strikes backed by unions, and large-scale demonstrations, most notably the one on September 22. While the ceasefire has seemingly cooled sentiment, the hot Italian September was part of a striking global trend where Gen Z'ers are occupying public spaces to set the political agenda. The result is often unpredictable rallies, with a potential for violence out of utter desperation. Their aim is often absolute, irreversible change, echoing the revolutions of the Arab Spring or even 1848 in Europe. 

There is nothing new under the sun about Gen Z protests. The international student movement, Fridays for Future, (started  in September 2019 and stifled by the pandemic) showcased the political awareness of the ‘new’ generation. However, the problems of climate change were half molded into convenient corporate greenwashing, half swept under the rug. Five years later, anger is back on the agenda, but the public is less willing to compromise this time around. 

The waves of protests from Nepal, Indonesia to Morocco have shown that Gen Z protests have the potential to carry far graver consequences for ruling elites globally. The uprisings of the past months have certainly gone beyond raising public awareness. Whether they can permanently replace corrupt structures, though, remains elusive. 

Coalition of the desperate

The tidal wave of protests across the globe is not coincidental. Authoritarian regimes are on the rise and the promise of democracy and freedom is fading across the world. Couple this with disruptions, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, rising conflicts, and economic downturns, and it is not hard to see why the youth of today are increasingly desperate. 

Vertical power structures are reasserting themselves, and tightening their grip around public finances, turning states increasingly tyrannical and corrupt. A glaring example of this is Morocco’s bid to organize the 2030 World Cup, where the ruling regime is planning to spend an egregious $500 million dollars to build a stadium in Benslimane, a town of a mere 70,000 inhabitants. Simultaneously, public healthcare is faltering, with eight pregnant women dead in one week after a series of failed operations. This triggered a mass scale demonstration for a state that can take care of its citizens, instead of splurging on megalomaniacal projects. 

Similarly, once a poster child of democratic transition in the late 1990s, elite privilege seems to prevail over local needs. Mass waves of protests were triggered in late August 2025, after a taxi driver was killed by a police vehicle, during protests. The Indonesian youth are fed up with the illiberal practices of the ruling President Prabowo, making deep cuts in local community budgets, and proceeding to grant housing allowances to MPs. With its growing, young population of 280 million people, Indonesia was diagnosed to become a champion of globalization, after the toppling of the tyrant Suharto in 1998. 

While the figureheads were reshuffled, elections could not uproot deep seeded corruption and nepotism. The desperation of the youth is becoming increasingly evident. While the police forces have brutally killed ten protesters, thousands relentlessly mobilized themselves to attain their goals.

Interconnected youth

Material deprivation and frustration driving the protests come together in one powerful symbol. No matter whether the protest is on the streets of Casablanca, Jakarta or Kathmandu, the ‘straw hat-pirate’ flag will always be waved. The banner of Monkey D. Luffy, a character from the manga classic One Piece is a uniting force behind these movements. In the comic hit it represents the dream of world liberation, after crushing the tyrannical “World Government.” As many in Generation Z grew up with this message, it is able to unite the desperate youth across the world.

The most blatant example of uncompromising drive of these protests is the toppling of the Nepalese government. This uprising came after the government of Sharma Oli wanted to curb public communication by banning 26 social media platforms. The violence that ensued after this proposal left up to 72 dead, and 2,100 shots of live ammunition fired. The bloodshed led to the ban being reversed, a regime change and the government admitting to the unlawful use of force. 

While the protests certainly provoked change, the question remains whether the wrath of the public can truly lead to the sustained reemergence of democratic principles in the Global South. 

Empire Strikes Back

The relevance of this question is justified by the fact that the Nepalese U-turn is a sore outlier, rather than the trend. In fact, despite the unifying force of Monkey D. Luffy’s ideals, the harsh political realities of the organized elites have managed to fight back. In Morocco, despite the widespread political outrage, severe retributions are expected. While the public services are failing, the judicial system is flexing its muscles. Prison sentences of up to 15 years are being handed out to protesters who are suspected of seething unrest.

And we need not look very far to see that even in Serbia, an EU candidate member state, mass demonstrations led by students after the Novi Sad railway station collapse have not been fruitful. Those in power stayed in power. While the state might give some carrots, the sticks usually always follow. Just like in Indonesia, where the corrupt allowances for MPs have been overturned, Human Rights Watch is concerned about the scale of arbitrary detentions for protesters.

While the game is not over, it is certain that powerful tyrannical states need to be met with organized counter-movements. Despite the brutal efficacy of the Nepalese protests, the students leading the movements, did not get elected into office. The power was once again brokered off to politicians, who were ready to strike a compromise, but who knows if they are willing to give up the comfort of corruption for democratic welfare.

Image Attribution: GeniusTaker, Self published [Wiki Commons]