Gen Z protests are gaining momentum across the world as young people challenge governments over education, employment, electoral fairness, corruption and the quality of public services.
The demonstrations in France, India and Albania were triggered by different national problems. However, each movement has drawn support from young people who believe established institutions are failing to address the issues shaping their lives and future.
In France, demonstrations began at a secondary school in Créteil, southeast of Paris, following complaints about staff shortages. They later spread to other schools and developed into a nationwide movement.
Students raised concerns about overcrowded classrooms, deteriorating buildings, insufficient teachers and inequalities between schools. Images from affected institutions showed leaking roofs, collapsed ceilings, broken furniture and rats.
Police had made more than 6,600 arrests nationwide by mid-October. Although most demonstrations were peaceful, clashes and the use of riot-control weapons drew criticism of the authorities’ response.
A 14-year-old student suffered serious injuries to his jaw and teeth after being struck by a tear-gas grenade. Another student, aged 15, lost a hand in an incident involving a stun grenade.
The French government said it respected peaceful demonstrations but maintained that police had to stop vandalism, attacks on school staff and violence committed during the protests.
In India, young protesters challenged a disputed revision of electoral lists that reportedly removed about 130 million names. Critics claimed the changes disproportionately affected minority communities.
The demonstrators demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the reopening of Jantar Mantar, a prominent protest site in New Delhi.
Authorities deployed more than 30,000 security personnel, closed 45 Delhi Metro stations and suspended mobile internet services in central parts of the capital. Stadiums were also used as temporary detention centres as thousands of protesters were detained.
The electoral dispute attracted young Indians already frustrated by unemployment, examination irregularities and limited opportunities after graduation.
In Albania, secondary-school and university students joined the Flamingo Movement, which had been demonstrating against alleged corruption and a proposed luxury tourism development on the country’s southern coast.
The students added demands for improved university conditions, lower education costs, increased financial assistance and better employment prospects.
Their involvement broadened the campaign against Prime Minister Edi Rama’s government and was followed by several days of unrest in Tirana.
Police said 167 people were arrested and 132 officers injured during five days of demonstrations. Seven police officers were suspended while allegations that they had exceeded their duties were investigated.
Rama, who has governed Albania since 2013, rejected demands for his resignation and accused political opponents of encouraging the violence.
Africa has also experienced youth-led mobilisation. Kenya’s Gen Z protests began in 2024 over proposed tax increases before widening into demands for broader political reforms. Youth demonstrations later emerged in countries including Ghana, Nigeria and Uganda.
Campaigners in Morocco and Madagascar have also used decentralised structures and online platforms to organise their activities without placing their movements under one recognised leader.
CIVICUS reported that social media has enabled young protesters to coordinate demonstrations, document the conduct of authorities and exchange tactics across borders. Decentralised leadership can make movements difficult to suppress or absorb into political parties, although it can complicate negotiations and long-term organisation.
The International Labour Organization said weak economic growth and insufficient job creation were making it harder for young people to enter stable employment.
“A generation that cannot find decent work cannot build its future with confidence,” ILO Director-General Gilbert Houngbo said.
Global youth unemployment reached 12.4 per cent in 2025, leaving 67 million people aged between 15 and 24 without work. Another 257 million young people, 20 per cent of the global youth population, were not in employment, education or training.
Between 2023 and 2025, youth unemployment increased in eight of the world’s 11 subregions. In low- and lower-middle-income countries, nearly nine in every 10 workers aged between 15 and 29 remained in informal employment, often without stable incomes or social protection.
Elie GATETE
RADIOTV10