After the clashes in Nepal, Gen Z cleares the roads (and gives a lesson in the world): “Our struggle is not vandalism”

At dawn on Wednesday, in Kirtipur and Katmandu, the children of the Z generation presented themselves armed not of signs with slogans but of brooms, gloves and black bags. After days of tension and violence, young people chose to clean up the roads of broken glass, waste and rubble left by the events. A symbolic and concrete gesture at the same time, with which they wanted to demonstrate that their struggle does not go for vandalism, but for a peaceful and responsible change.

Widespread online videos show dozens of students and volunteers intent on collecting debris also in front of the burned parliament and in public spaces devastated by the clashes. The presence of soldiers and police did not stop young people, who decided to return decor to their cities. With brooms and blades, they have transformed places of anger and chaos into symbols of resilience.

A difficult context marked by deaths and tensions

The cleaning images come after days marked by violent protests, unleashed by the “antisocial” law that limited the use of platforms such as Instagram, Tiktok and WhatsApp. The rule, presented as a measure against fake news and hate online, was perceived as an attack on freedom of expression, detonating an discontent already fueled by corruption, nepotism and youth unemployment.

Katmandu’s squares have become the scene of very hard clashes with the police: hydrant, tear and gaps have left over 20 victims and hundreds of injuries on the field. The pressure of the square forced the premier KP Sharma Oli to resignation, while in the main cities the curfew and the army presides over the roads.

In this tense scenario, the young people wanted to send an alternative message. With the hands dirty with dust and waste, the Nepalese gen Z has reiterated that its goal is not destruction, but the construction of a different future. A form of protest that starts from the care of common spaces to restore dignity to the country and trace a clear border with those who have taken advantage of chaos to sow violence.

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