The great speculations of liberal media for the past year in the wake of Donald Trump’s second electoral victory seem to inevitably turn on one assumption: “Gen Z”, the youth, are turning to the right. Reuters news agency[1] and The Guardian[2] both focus on a gender divide between young men and young women in Europe, America, and Asia (with the young male cohort being the more disaffected). The stenographers of global capital at the Financial Times[3] attribute the supposed great success of the right to fashion and its intellectual energy – with figures like Curtis Yarvin looming large as enemies of their assumed only alternative in liberal politics as usual. And indeed, the surface level of the analysis is, while generally baffled (the Financial Times, for its part, recommends some tepid “new, fresh thinking”[4]), cogent – there has been an ascendence of the reactionary right and a decline in the neoliberal institutions that have historically kept it on a shorter leash. Yet, while these same institutional reporters puzzle over the failure of moderate liberal policy to win over the frustrated youth (and launder deranged neo-Nazis like Nick Fuentes with fawning profiles in GQ for good measure),[5] the youth has taken social revolution into its own hands in a serious manner. As the media crows over the gains and supposed popularity of the reactionary wing of this generation, nation after nation – mainly in the global south- has seen deep unrest among its youth in an entirely different direction over the past two years.

What follows will be a tour of a fractious wave of youth movements across the globe. Kenya has been boiling with Gen Z protests since 2024. Protests began over an onerous tax bill, which proposed, among other things, a 16% tax on bread. [6] However, indignation against this regressive tax policy quickly turned to fury over repeated and sustained brutality from the Kenyan police. In 2024, 63 protestors were killed and more than 80 were abducted; in June 2025, “at least” 16 people were killed and hundreds were injured – according to Human Rights Watch. [7] The government has so far held firm, but despite the rampant brutality visited by the police, protestors are determined. Speaking to news outlet Al Jazeera in the wake of yet more bloody violence, Kenyan protestor Osman Mohamed said, “The government is taking us as a joke. They don’t want to listen to us … they don’t listen to us as citizens. We are the people, and they’re supposed to listen because of the power of the people.”[8] Meanwhile, in Indonesia and the Philippines, tensions rise as the Indonesian parliament grants itself tremendous and unearned recess allowances “ten times the minimum wage in Jakarta”[9] and the Philippine government sweats over the discovery of nearly “£13 billion” siphoned off in “bogus flood relief projects.”[10] Protestors in Morocco have been animated by the deaths of eight women during childbirth this September, while the monarchy wastes billions on the FIFA world cup. [11]  The movement is spearheaded by a collective called Gen Z 212 and has faced similarly brutal repression though they have gained significant ground. [12] The Moroccan youth have united under slogans criticizing the monarchy and the economic inequality that has long strangled the nation, saying, “we need jobs but we got a stadium.”[13]

While many of these global youth protest movements have struggled against extremely violent crackdowns, and some are in their very early stages, others have made significant gains against their repressive and extractive states. This journal has already commented on the dramatic success of the youth movements in Nepal, which displaced an obviously corrupt and extractive neo-Stalinist government. [14] However, this was not an isolated incident in the region, nor was it the first. In West Bengal, a constellation of social issues came into focus last year after the brutal rape and murder of a 31-year-old trainee doctor. [15] For his part, right-wing reactionary prime minister Modi was hapless to stymie a wave of anti-misogyny take back the night protests; these protests quickly merged with and were further inflamed by mass teachers’ protests, which caught the Bengal government off guard. [16] And as this article was being written, on October 14 the government of Madagascar collapsed under the weight of mass youth protests. Madagascar, one of the poorest resource rich countries in the world, erupted in youth discontent – initially over power and water cuts, but then against the general economic conditions that have left a staggering 75% of the country living under the poverty line and a third of people have basic access to electricity. [17] After days of brutal protests, where 22 people were killed and hundreds more were injured, the Andry Rajoelina government was forced into hiding by the so-called “Gen-Z Mada”[18] backed by the army. Rajoelina, for his part, is claiming he has faced a coup d’etat.

Thus, despite what the liberal pundit class has to say about Gen Z, the reality across the globe is much different. Everywhere, especially in the global south, the youth are taking up arms against ossified governments, no matter what they claim to represent. The long-term consequences of these movements are, of course, still up in the air. It is impossible to predict where each of these movements will take their respective states, but one thing should be clear: whether they know it or not, the old governments and political classes, who have for so long aided the capitalist class in its exploitation of the world, are severely threatened. Their control, so long solidified, is visibly slipping as they attempt to repress these developing people’s movements with clumsy violence. There are, however, three things that are readily apparent to even the most casual observer from a Marxist-Humanist perspective:

1: Just as in Nepal, it is incumbent on the left in the West, especially in the US and Europe, where youth movements have played a crucial role in organizing for Palestine,[19] to see through the media’s propaganda and recognize these particular struggles as part of a larger global conflict. The politics of each of these conflicts is locally unique, but part of a global tapestry of struggle against exploitation, against institutional misogyny and rape culture, and against the oppression of queer people and ethnic/national minorities. Recognizing the universal in these particular situations is the first step towards, as with Nepal, organized left support for these destabilizing blows against the organized global reactionary right.

2: Similarly, facing down the barrel of increased government repression, leftists in the West must learn from these struggles in the global south and prepare for the worst. We must face facts: the reactionary right has demonstrated an immense capacity for violence. Even now, masked Trumpist ICE thugs have abducted an unknown number of people from the streets of US cities. The resilience shown by the people’s struggles in Nepal, Kenya, Morocco, and Madagascar should serve as an example to comrades across the world.

3: Ignoring the intersectionality of these movements will come at a steep cost to revolutionary solidarity and viability. These protests have clearly emerged from deep injustices and oppressions faced by marginalized groups. The abuse of women in particular has been a strong rallying cry and an important part of these struggles. Queer people have also been on the front lines of these social movements. Simplifying the struggle of the youth for freedom from exploitation, racism, gendered oppression, misogynistic abuse, and queerphobia will undoubtedly sabotage any analysis of these movements that claims to be Marxist.

[1] Jung, Heejung, et al. “How a Gen Z Gender Divide Is Reshaping Democracy.” Reuters, 29 May 2025. Asia Pacific. www.reuters.com, https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/how-gen-z-gender-divide-is-reshaping-democracy-2025-05-29/.

[2] Gayle, Damien, et al. “‘They Want to Feel like Men’: Why Are Gen Z Men Turning to Rightwing Politics?” The Guardian, 13 May 2025. Politics. The Guardian, https://www.theguardian.com/politics/video/2025/may/13/they-want-to-feel-like-men-why-are-gen-z-men-turning-to-rightwing-politics.

[3] Kelly, Jemima. “The Fashion for the Young: Turn to the Radical Right.” Financial Times, 12 Oct. 2025, https://www.ft.com/content/61d49fc5-75bc-47ab-8014-dcc44ae9f18d. US Politics & Policy.

[4] IBID

[5] Dee, Katherine. “Is Nick Fuentes Winning Over Women on the Left?” GQ, 13 Oct. 2025, https://www.gq.com/story/nick-fuentes-women-fans.

[6] Kenya Finance Bill 2024 Passes Second Reading amid Public Outcry. 21 June 2024, https://techpoint.africa/news/kenya-finance-bill-second-reading-amid-public-outcry/. News.

[7] Kenya: Hold Authorities Accountable for Protesters’ Deaths | Human Rights Watch. 26 June 2025, https://www.hrw.org/news/2025/06/26/kenya-hold-authorities-accountable-for-protesters-deaths.

[8] Lawal, Shola. “At Least Eight Killed in Deadly Kenya Protests: What We Know.” Al Jazeera, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/6/26/at-least-eight-killed-in-deadly-kenya-protests-what-we-know.

[9] Indonesian MPs Get Extra Allowance Weeks after Angry Protests over Perks. 14 Oct. 2025, https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cly4gwr20wzo.

[10] Ratcliffe, Rebecca. “Protesters Flood Streets of Philippines over State Corruption.” The Guardian, 21 Sept. 2025. World News. The Guardian, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/sep/21/protests-philippines-corruption-state-flood.

[11] “After Nepal and the Philippines, Why Have Youth-Led Protests Rocked Morocco and Madagascar?” The Indian Express, 12 Oct. 2025, https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-global/nepal-philippines-youth-protests-morocco-madagascar-10300879/.

[12] Ibid

[13] Casablanca, Matthew Campbell. Morocco’s Gen Z Rebellion: ‘We Need Jobs but We Got a Stadium.’ 11 Oct. 2025, https://www.thetimes.com/world/africa/article/morocco-gen-z-protesters-appeal-royalty-jc8v5nd9v.

[14] “Gen-Z” Revolutionaries and the Future of Leftist Politics in Nepal – IMHO Journal. https://imhojournal.org/articles/gen-z-revolutionaries-and-the-future-of-leftist-politics-in-nepal/. Accessed 14 Oct. 2025.

[15] “‘Reclaim the Night’: Massive Protests in India after Doctor’s Rape, Murder.” Al Jazeera, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/8/15/reclaim-the-night-thousands-rally-in-india-after-doctors-rape-murder. Accessed 14 Oct. 2025.

[16] Chatterjee, Shrabana. “West Bengal Schools Recruitment: Aspiring Teachers Protest Outside Assembly; Clash with Police.” The Hindu, 12 Sept. 2025. West Bengal. www.thehindu.com, https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/west-bengal/west-bengal-schools-recruitment-aspiring-teachers-protest-outside-assembly-clash-with-police/article70038180.ece.

[17] Andry Rajoelina: Madagascar President Hiding in “safe Place” as He Warns of Coup Attempt. 13 Oct. 2025, https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgkzyek0jxro.

[18] Ibid

[19] So much so that the Trump administration has made extremely aggressive attacks on speech on college campuses ahead of this school year, for example, Kurtzleben, Danielle. “President Trump’s War on Higher Education.” NPR, 30 May 2025. Education. NPR, https://www.npr.org/2025/05/30/nx-s1-5415678/president-trumps-war-on-higher-education.