A sweeping government ban on major social media platforms has created a wave of youth-led protests across Nepal, culminating in one of the largest anti-government mobilisations in recent years. In response to escalating demonstrations, authorities have imposed a curfew in New Baneshwor, a key residential and political hub in Kathmandu, after protesters breached restricted zones near the federal parliament.
The unrest follows last week’s controversial move by the government to block access to 26 social media apps including Facebook, YouTube, and X (formerly Twitter) in what it claimed was an effort to curb misinformation. But critics say the decision is a thinly veiled attempt to suppress dissent.
Rallying under the banner of the “Gen Z Revolution,” thousands of young Nepalis, many of them students, took to the streets on Monday in cities including Kathmandu and Ithari. They demanded the immediate reversal of the ban and decried what they see as endemic corruption under Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s government.
Social media users, particularly from the Gen Z demographic, organised the protests using encrypted messaging apps and offline networks after the platforms were blocked. Digital flyers and messages circulated in the days leading up to the nationwide action, urging youth to gather at Baneshwor in Kathmandu to pressure the government.
Support from Actors, Musicians, and Civil Society Groups
The demonstrations have drawn support from actors, musicians, and civil society groups, many of whom have publicly endorsed the protesters’ demands. Footage broadcast on local television showed large crowds confronting police, blocking major roads, and in some cases, entering parliamentary grounds, an unprecedented show of defiance that underscored the depth of public frustration. As tensions rise, the unfolding protests are quickly becoming a flashpoint in the country’s ongoing struggle between digital freedom and state control.
