The world has continuously seen a rise in protests led by Gen Z against corruption, injustice, police brutality, inequality and crimes committed by government officers. It is becoming more apparent that this is a generation determined to speak up against things they do not find acceptable. 

Who are the Gen Z?

Gen Zs refer to a generation born from the year 1995 to 2010, and the Z in the name stands for ‘Zoomers.’ They are a generation that grew as the internet developed, and are known as digital natives.

They are typically people who have built lives and identity on the internet, thereby giving them more access to information that was not readily available to the generations before them, which shapes up their perception of the world.

Due to the excess information that is readily available and access for Gen Z on the internet, they are more often radicalized and more likely to become activists, and call out corruption from the government, and most of the protest that have happened worldwide in countries like Nepal, The Philippines, Kenya, Indonesia, and Nigeria all started from the internet. 

Gen Z Protests around the world in the 2020s

Social media activism saw a rise with the growth of Gen Z and a rise in social media protests that led to planned physical protests from tweets or one video discussing injustice that went viral. 

The Nigerians’ EndSARS Protest

Nigeria’s #EndSars Protests in 2020 started from social media protests and documentation of the injustice against young people by the Nigerian police force and evolved into a physical 20 days protest against the unlawful actions of the Police force against young citizens, and also gained international attention from the discussion of the issues and experiences of the youths on social media.

While the protests started as one against police brutality, it quickly became a demonstration against corruption in the country. 

The Philippines Protest Against Flood Endangerment

The Philippines protests started from citizens speaking against the terrible flood control in the country, and the terrible attitude towards flooding by the government, especially as flooding affected the average citizen who could not afford to live after the damage the floods caused to their lives, homes and livelihood.

The protests started from citizens making use of TikTok and Twitter to call out the children of their politicians who were seen living lavish lives on what the citizens deemed as tax payers money, which should be going into fixing the country and creating better flood control systems but was instead being used to set up comfortable lives for the children of their politicians country’s politicians.

Gen Z Protests Against High Cost Of Living and Corruption In Nepal

The Gen Z protests in Nepal started as a result of young students and citizens coming out to protest against corruption, inflation and the increasingly high cost of living, and after the country shut down social media as a way to push citizens into silence.

The protests began to gain more attention and ammunition from younger students who joined the protests armed with their posters and still in their uniforms. 

Protests Against Corruption In Indonesia 

For Indonesia, what started as a protest against the government quickly turned more serious after the unfortunate murder of a young man who was crushed by a military truck sent out to push back on the protesters.

The protests started as a way for the citizens to state their distaste towards the decision of the government to raise the allowance for the national parliamentary, while citizens did not believe they were entitled to it. Especially with the current inflation in the country.

Protests Against Police Brutality In Kenya 

The protests in Kenya started as a series of youth led demonstrations to fight against the unjust murder of blogger and teacher who had been in police custody and it evolved into a protest against the high cost of living, government corruption and police brutality. 

What do these protests have in common?

What is common in each of these protests is how much more invested Gen Z is in the politics of the country, compared to the generation before them where political apathy was more common. For Gen Z, the access to more information and the rise of social activism and awareness has helped them build up a strong interest in what the government does.

Another common reason for the rise in protests is the current state of the world and the steady rise of corruption in almost every part of the world, and as more Gen Z continue to rise up to speak against these issues, it will continue to motivate those in other countries to also find courage. 

It is also easier to mobilize a protest in a digital generation like this where everyone has access to the internet and with a generation easily radicalized. 

Another key aspect of why it is easier for Gen Z to stand up against the government is the fact that it is a generation that thrives on community, and when a part of the community is threatened, there is an urgent need to protect it.

Gen Z is also a generation known for their resistance and willingness to act even with the possibility of risk, to gain their freedom and fight against injustice.

The rise of protests against injustice in this decade can be attributed to a lot of things, but the major contributors to it are Gen Z who are politically aware, socially conscious and apathetic to tools like religion, and bigotry which is often used as a tool by the government to wield against citizens to reduce the possibility of cooperation between citizens.