Police clash with protesters during a protest by high school and university students in Paris, on a national day of demonstrations and blockades supported by teachers and parents of students to demand better conditions in France's schools.
From Chile to India, passing through France, Spain and Albania: young people have taken to the streets in protests for education, housing, employment and against corruption.
Despite the different agendas and political contexts, experts interviewed by g1 highlight that these mobilizations share two characteristics: the strong presence of generation Z and the use of social networks as a mobilization tool.
Generation Z is made up of people born between the end of the 1990s and the beginning of the 2010s.
According to Regiane Bressan, professor of international relations at the Federal University of São Paulo (Unifesp), platforms such as TikTok and Instagram, in addition to closed channels such as Telegram and WhatsApp, serve as instant catalysts for popular demands, especially among members of generation Z.
According to her, young people follow images of protests in other countries in real time and adopt similar repertoires of direct action.
"Budgetary issues in education in countries like France, Chile and Argentina, or the housing crisis in Spain and the entrance exam scandals in India, generate an immediate generational identification", explains Bressan.
France: young people document police violence
A recent example occurs in France, where images of student demonstrations contributed to expanding mobilization. The young people themselves also began to document the conditions of the schools and the actions of the security forces.
The French protests began on September 17, with demands for improvements in public education and criticism of the lack of teachers and school infrastructure. On October 13, more than 160,000 people participated in demonstrations, according to the Ministry of the Interior.
Last Friday (16), police violence became one of the main focuses of the crisis, following reports of serious injuries to teenagers during the repression of acts.
More than 6,700 minors had been taken into police custody since the mobilizations began, and 36 investigations into possible excesses were underway, according to the French newspaper Le Monde.
The government announced the hiring of substitute teachers, but students consider the measures insufficient. A new national day of protests is scheduled for this Saturday (17).
At the beginning of the month, Spain also experienced a wave of protests that had a massive presence from generation Z. The acts in the country were motivated by the housing crisis, and were triggered by the eviction of Maricarmen Abascal, 87 years old. The elderly woman died days later, generating more mobilizations.
Memes and irony as a mobilization tool
Cockroach protest: Protester holds sign in India on July 26, 2026.
Professor Regiane Bressan states that humor, irony and memes have also become tools for mobilizing generation Z. This is the case of initiatives such as the Cockroach movement in India.
The Cockroach Janta Party emerged in May 2026, led by entrance exam students, university students and candidates for public exams who protested against leaks in higher education access tests and allegations of corruption.
The mobilization gained momentum on social media and led to the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in July.
This Friday (16), protesters returned to the streets of New Delhi to call for the resignation of the head of the Election Commission, Gyanesh Kumar.
The group disputes a review of voter registrations that deleted more than 130 million names from voting lists and accuses authorities of favoring Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party. The police detained leaders before the acts, which also took place in other Indian cities.
The members adopted the image of cockroaches, in reference to insults used against unemployed young people, and started using memes, costumes and satire to criticize politicians and institutions. The strategy helped to popularize the mobilization on social media and attract young people who do not identify with traditional parties.
Albania against Trump family luxury resort
Despite the direct confrontation with established governments and the organization of popular movements, this year's wave of demonstrations is not based on a party organization nor does it follow a cohesive or unified ideological orientation, according to Bressan.
On the contrary, the mobilizations are directed against governments of different political origins.
In Albania, protests began with demands for improvements in public education and turned into a movement against the government of Prime Minister Edi Rama, who identifies as socialist and faces calls to resign.
Protesters denounce corruption, precarious conditions at universities, the high costs of higher education, the lack of financial support and the few job opportunities after graduation.
They also criticize a luxury resort project on the country's south coast, linked to Jared Kushner, son-in-law of United States President Donald Trump. The proposal envisages the construction of a tourist complex in a preserved coastal area and faces legal challenges.
The acts, which had been occurring peacefully for months, turned violent on Tuesday (13). In Tirana, protesters threw stones at police officers, vandalized establishments and set fire to a government building and bank branches.
Security forces responded with tear gas and water cannons. The protests also reached other cities, such as Elbasan, Shkodra, Lezha and Korça.
'Not a peso less' in Chile
In Chile, governed by the right-wing José Antonio Kast, student organizations called for mobilizations against cuts and measures related to public education.
On October 1st, more than 20 thousand people participated in a march called by the Confederation of Chilean Students (Confech), under the motto “Not one burden less for education”. The mobilization took place after the announcement of the budget for 2027 and brought together students, teachers, unions and other organizations. At least 31 people were detained, according to the newspaper El País.
On Monday (12), a new demonstration brought together representatives of indigenous peoples, including Mapuche communities, who protested against Spanish colonization and demanded territorial rights and the preservation of their ancestral languages. The march also ended in clashes with security forces.
The tension is expected to continue this Sunday (18), when mobilizations are planned to mark the seventh anniversary of the so-called social outburst, a wave of protests that began in October 2019 against social inequality and the cost of living.
The government reported that there are no authorized marches for the date and stated that it intends to hold anyone responsible for causing damage to public property.
“The common thread is the rejection of precariousness and the privileges of political castes, regardless of the formal ideological spectrum of the ruler”, says Bressan.
The professor explains that the greater visibility of flags from different currents and schools of political thought does not necessarily represent an organic growth in affiliation to political parties. According to her, it is also a response to the increase in the cost of living and budget austerity policies.
“So, faced with unaffordable rents, cuts in education and pensions, the symbols of the radical left are once again adopted by young people as the most direct way of rejecting neoliberalism and the regulated market”, he explains.
Nepal: history on the streets
The year 2026 continued the Gen Z protests seen in countries like Nepal and Madagascar the previous year.
In both cases, the mobilization began with publications, viral videos and shared complaints that, in a short time, turned into marches.
According to Luciano Gomes, professor of social sciences at Centro Universitário Arnaldo Janssen, the experience of Nepal, in September 2025, illustrates this dynamic. The government's decision to block digital platforms provoked a youthful reaction that quickly incorporated claims against corruption, lack of opportunities and dissatisfaction with the government.
The movement led to demonstrations that brought together tens of thousands of people. In Kathmandu, the capital, around 20,000 to 25,000 protesters were on the streets on September 8, 2025, according to estimates cited by the local press.
The government's response to the protests was marked by a police repression that left dozens dead. At least 76 people died and more than 2,000 were injured over six days, according to Amnesty International.
The country also recorded fires and attacks on public buildings, including Parliament.
Prime Minister K. P. Sharma Oli resigned. The crisis led to the formation of an interim government and the call for early elections, held in March 2026.
The Independent National Party, led by former Kathmandu mayor Balendra Shah, won the vote and won a parliamentary majority. Shah took over as prime minister on March 27 in a historic defeat for traditional parties.
Gomes states, however, that a movement capable of bringing together thousands of people on the streets is not always able to build a lasting organization, formulate consensual proposals or negotiate institutional changes.
“The internet facilitates mobilization, but it also favors the circulation of misinformation, polarization and the dissemination of content that can encourage confrontations”, he points out.
This generation and others
Young people have been forces of social pressure at different times in history.
Professor Luciano Gomes explains that the main difference is in the organization and communication conditions of the protesters.
The student movements of the 1960s and 1970s, such as the May 1968 mobilizations in France and the protests against the military dictatorship in Brazil, were strongly associated with universities and student organizations, explains Gomes.
The May 1968 demonstrations in France began with student protests against conservatism and police repression and gained the support of workers. The movement triggered a general strike that brought together around 10 million people, paralyzed the country and led President Charles de Gaulle to call early elections.
“In previous generations, the circulation of information depended more on the press, pamphlets, face-to-face meetings and activist networks”, says the expert.
An episode of police violence, an accusation of corruption or a government decision can reach international repercussions within a few hours. This favors solidarity between movements and increases pressure on government officials, says Gomes, but it can also produce mobilizations that are quick, fragmented and vulnerable to disinformation.
