‘A global political awakening’: how gen Z protests are sweeping the world

From Serbia to Bangladesh and India to France, young people are pushing back against authoritarianism and reshaping political landscapes

By Ashifa Kassam and Lex McMenamin

In Brazil, they rallied online by the millions, sharing videos and spreading memes. In Serbia, they cycled across Europe and ran ultramarathons to make their voices heard.

Both movements burst into international public view last month as they became central during election campaigns to the pushback against authoritarianism. What they also offered, however, was a window into a wider phenomenon playing out across the globe, as youth-led movements reshape political landscapes.

“Gen Z is rising,” said Erica Chenoweth, a political scientist at Harvard Kennedy School. “It is abundantly clear that a significant proportion of gen Z is tired of sitting on the sidelines while their political systems fail them.”

Researchers have documented at least 25 protests around the world in which this age group – roughly those between the ages of 14 and 29 – has played a role. From Bangladesh to Belgium and Italy to India, it seems gen Z, who account for about a third of the world’s population, have found their voice. “Gen Z may be experiencing a global political awakening,” Chenoweth wrote in a recent essay.

Their reasons for taking to the streets have varied widely, from protesting against corruption and an unequal playing field to calling for more investment in education, affordable housing and action on the climate crisis.

Many of the first protests to make waves were in Asia and Africa. In 2024, students in Dhaka, Bangladesh, made global headlines after they pulled off what was described as the world’s first successful gen Z-led revolution….

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/nov/06/gen-z-protests-sweeping-the-world?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

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