On September 10, Nepal had a revolution. Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli was forced to resign after a massive demonstration from the Nepali people. A new government has been installed in its place.
The protests were largely organized by Hami Nepal (We are Nepal), made up mostly of people in their 20s, which led to many naming the events the Gen-Z Protests. “We don’t want to be politicians,” volunteer Ronesh Pradhan said. “Sudan Gurung was only helping the ‘Gen Z’ group and we are only the voice of the nation and not interested in taking leadership positions.”
The event sparked after the government had banned 26 major social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, X, and Pinterest. The people started to put a spotlight on how the children of the major politicians were able to go on lavish vacations and live in mansions while most of Nepal was in poverty. This attempt on censorship, along with widespread corruption within the government, led to mass protests erupting on September 8.
Though there was violence, protests were largely peaceful until September 10, when the Nepali government deployed officers into the streets, which led to the deaths of 19 protesters.
Afterwards, even more violence broke out. Large amounts of arson and riots led to the parliament building being engulfed in flames, the former government surrendering and escaping, and a new prime minister being installed, Sushila Karki, Nepal’s first female prime minister.
What is strangest about this whole event is that the group organized the whole event in Discord, an online platform where people from across the world can communicate.
Their Discord server of approximately 400 members organized the protest in front of the parliament, which was the first domino that led to the toppling of the government. They even elected Sushila Karki to interim prime minister via the server, which by then had exploded in popularity.
Other social media sites were important to awareness of the revolution, such as Wehatethecold, a YouTuber who makes vlogs traveling over the world. He was unexpectedly in Nepal while the whole event was happening. While there, he began documenting the events and posting it, with tens of millions of people having watched his videos on the event.
This is still a dangerous and uncertain time, with at least 72 dead and 1,300 injured, and an unstable government in control of the nation. But despite all of that, it still gives me hope.
Hope that corrupt governments can be held accountable, hope that young people can make just as much of an impact on the world as those that are older, hope that anything can change with enough effort, hope that the internet can be used for good, and most of all, hope that anyone can make a change in the world.
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