Kuchu Puchu, when will you resign: How Gen Z used memes, reels as tools of protest
Delhi's Jantar Mantar has once again become the stage for a historic protest, more than a decade after the anti-corruption Jan Lokpal movement transformed it
Delhi's Jantar Mantar has once again become the stage for a historic protest, more than a decade after the anti-corruption Jan Lokpal movement transformed it into the epicentre of public dissent. While every mass movement shares certain common features, each generation reshapes the way it protests. The recent Gen Z-led agitation demonstrated how a widening generation gap prevented governments, institutions and even society from fully understanding the movement until it had gathered unstoppable momentum. Read Full Story Having covered the protests that followed the Nirbhaya case, Baba Ramdev's agitation, and the anti-corruption movement led by Anna Hazare and Arvind Kejriwal, the contrast was striking. The millennials who took to the streets a decade ago organised differently from the generations before them. Political leaders and officials who had grown up watching traditional street protests of the 1980s and 1990s struggled to understand how Twitter could organically mobilise thousands of people. Years later, covering Gen Z at Jantar Mantar revealed another transformation in protest culture. The experience at Jantar Mantar was not entirely unfamiliar. Similar patterns had already emerged in neighbouring countries, where young people used social media as the backbone of anti-government movements. In Sri Lanka, students and young protesters came out against the government of Mahinda Rajapaksa and his family's alleged corruption, rising inflation, economic hardship and the country's deteriorating economy. Authorities imposed curfews, internet restrictions, police action, tear gas and military deployment in an attempt to suppress the protests. However, Facebook and WhatsApp evolved from communication platforms into tools for mobilisation, while VPNs allowed protesters to bypass restrictions. As government crackdowns intensified, the movement grew stronger. Protesters eventually entered the residences of the President and Prime Minister, forcing the Rajapaksa family to leave power and flee the country. After the government collapsed, many of the same young protesters returned to restore order, cleaned public spaces, formed human chains and ensured that national property was protected. Within two years, Bangladesh witnessed a similar mobilisation. Public anger over alleged corruption, an authoritarian style of governance and a controversial law brought Gen Z onto the streets. Authorities responded with conventional methods including baton charges, tear gas, water cannons, internet shutdowns, social media restrictions and curfews. Yet officials from older generations struggled to understand how crowds continued to grow despite these measures. As the government intensified its response, police firing turned Dhaka's streets into scenes of bloodshed.
The BriefWire