Effective and Impressive Generation Z Protest: Images from the Riots in Nepal

Young demonstrators in Nepal launched a peaceful protest that escalated from calm sit-ins to violent clashes as soon as the government sent violent police against them, leaving more than twenty dead, government buildings and officials’ homes burned, and the prime minister effectively and instantly forced to resign.

Here are the striking images showing how Nepal’s young generation carried out an efficient, forceful, and highly effective protest — in sharp contrast to the loud and ineffective demonstrations often seen in Western countries.

In Nepal, it all began with a polite, quiet, and restrained sit-in.

But when the government sent police forces to disperse protesters with violence and arrests, these young demonstrators saw it as permission to respond in kind.

They stormed the homes of the prime minister and ministers, burned their possessions, and beat officials in the streets, just as the police had beaten demonstrators under government orders.

As a result, the protest achieved immediate and complete effect: the corrupt and unresponsive government fled, officials were placed under civilian arrest, and their property was set on fire, while the army — in a rare and bold move — protected the demonstrators from police violence, stating that its loyalty lay with citizens, not the government.

The lesson: how to conduct a nonviolent protest, and shift to defensive violence only when the authorities cross the line and deploy armed force against peaceful demonstrators.

Once the ruling side violates the law, the civilian side has the right — even the duty — to defend itself with every means available.

In a democracy, the people are sovereign, and when their servants strike them, they are entitled to strike back and remove them at once.

This week, the government of Nepal announced a social media blackout, igniting tens of thousands of young people to flood the streets in violent demonstrations.

More than twenty were killed, the government building and officials’ homes were set ablaze, the airport was shut down, and the prime minister resigned.

This is how it looked in the images.