Opinion | From memes to the streets: Gen Z’s fight back against corruption
Youth-led movements are too often treated as fleeting emotional outbursts, even though they express structured political demands
Although they arose in different contexts, all the protests were met with the same playbook of responses: repression, contempt and suspicion towards youth dismissed as irresponsible.
In Morocco, the #Gen212 movement, which originated on social media, denounced the high cost of living, police violence, muzzling of civil society and lack of opportunities. This mobilisation, which began digitally on platforms such as Discord, quickly spilled over from screens into concrete action taken in several cities across the country.
In Europe, too, youth are mobilising against authoritarian excesses and persistent inequalities. In Italy, France and Spain, young people are taking to the streets to protest gender-based violence, unpopular reforms and police repression and to demand recognition of their political rights.