On September 8th, 2025, unrest began to rile amongst the youth of Nepal in response to the government’s banning of multiple social media platforms days on September 4th. The government claimed that the ban was due to safety. They made the platforms illegal unless they registered with the Ministry of communication and information. However, many believe this was about the censoring of freedom of speech.
From September 8th to 11th, members of Nepal’s Gen Z began to organize protests on a few of the remaining social media platforms, such as Discord. Eventually, they took to the streets with signs, Nepali flags, and the pirate flag from the anime “One Piece.”
That pirate flag became a symbol of hope for the movement, as to protesters it stood for justice. They had been raised with the media telling them that when their rights were violated, they should get up and fight. They were raised on stories of good and evil, showing them that this is how heroes fight for justice. Protesters fought police and burnt down prominent government buildings.
Their anger and aggression wasn’t misguided or misdirected towards others. British travel vlogger turned journalist, Harry (from the channel @wehatethecold), reported how Nepalese protesters did not harm any tourists. It was noted that protesters even went so far as to ensure safe passage to tourist buses, many of which were waved to as they passed through the area. Visitors recorded that despite what was happening, the people involved had smiles on their faces, suggesting that this was not violence for the sake of violence, but a protest rooted in love for their country.
By September 9th, following the resignation of Prime Minister K. P. Sharma Oli, the social media ban was lifted, but the protests didn’t stop there. On September 10, the army of Nepal attempted to instill a curfew. At this point, corrupt government officials began fleeing their homes, leaving behind pets that were saved and cared for by other Nepali citizens, which again reinforced that protests were not for the sake of protesting or causing violence.
Finally, on September 12th, following a poll delivered on the Discord server that was used to plan and organize the protests, the Nepali people elected their first female Prime Minister, Sushila Karki.
Once all was said and done, the people took to the streets once more, but this time to clean up the damage. Fellow citizens held each other accountable, making others return stolen merchandise to stores. They worked together to sweep the streets and repaint the roads.
