The Nepalese government’s ban on social media has turned into a full-blown national crisis, with at least 19 people dead and more than 400 hurt after violent riots broke out across the country on Monday. The government blocked 26 social media sites, which led to the turmoil, but demonstrators immediately made it clear that their displeasure went beyond just not being able to use the internet.
The government of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli banned a number of unregistered social media sites on Friday. These included Facebook, YouTube, and X. They said they needed to stop fraudulent accounts, hate speech, and online fraud. But most people thought the measure was an attempt to silence criticism and control what people say online. Several platforms, such as TikTok, Viber, and WeTalk, followed the new registration restrictions and stayed open. However, the ban on other prominent sites caused an immediate public outrage.
The ban, on the other hand, was just the spark that set up a fire of deep-seated anger. Many young Nepalis depend on these platforms for small companies and creative expression, therefore they used the limited avenues they had to show their anger. The “nepo kids” campaign, which went viral on social media, was a big reason for the protests. This campaign, which was mostly on TikTok, showed how different the lives of regular young Nepalis are from those of politicians’ children, who live in luxury.
Hashtags like #NepoKid and #PoliticiansNepoBabyNepal went viral with videos and postings that said the rich politicians were living in luxury on money they stole from taxpayers. One post that went viral said, “Nepobabies live lavishly on the huge amounts of money their corrupt parents steal from taxpayers’ hard-earned money sent home through the sweat of migrant labor.” A video of a teenage protester asking, “When the leaders’ sons and daughters have a bright future, where is ours?” struck a chord with hundreds of people and turned the internet campaign into a street-level demonstration.
The peaceful protests on Monday rapidly turned into violent clashes with security officers. As demonstrators tried to break into the parliament building and other restricted locations in Kathmandu, police fired water cannons, tear gas, and live bullets. Nepal’s health ministry said that 17 people died in hospitals in Kathmandu alone. Two more individuals died from bullet wounds, increasing the total number of deaths to 19.
The administration has taken steps to calm things down after the tragic violence. Ramesh Lekhak, Nepal’s Home Minister, stepped down because of the police deaths. The government’s Communication, Information, and Broadcasting Minister declared the end of the social media ban a short time later. He said that the decision was made in response to the requests of the “Gen-Z” demonstrators.
The Prime Minister confirmed the revocation, but he defended the government’s original decision by saying that his party is not against social media but against “lawlessness, arrogance, and belittling our country.” He said, “The independence of the nation is more important than the loss of jobs for a few people.”
The last few days have sent shockwaves through Nepal, showing that young people can stand up to the political establishment. The long-term effects of this “Gen-Z” insurrection are still unknown, but security forces are on high alert and curfews are in place in some sections of the country.