— RAGHUWANSHI ? (@Ranjeetraghu_) September 10, 2025
The final straw for the revolution in Nepal was the government’s attempt to stifle free speech by banning social media platforms. These events did not take place because a few kids had their tablets taken away. Extreme government corruption ran rampant for years while the elite lived luxurious lifestyles in spite of the people they ruled over. The Nepalese government attempted to prevent the people from freely voicing their growing discontent, and then, when the people attempted to protest, the government murdered over 20 school-aged children in cold blood.
The media has poorly portrayed the cause of events by calling it the “Gen Z” revolution, sparked by a social media ban, which is entirely misleading, as the culprit was corruption and poverty. One in four citizens lives below the poverty line, with the average Nepali earning $1,400 USD annually. The poorest 20% spend around 67% of their income on food, and, much like most nations, in 2025, the majority is struggling to maintain the cost of living.
What began as an online trend has now become the core of a national uprising. The hashtag #NepoKids exposed the lavish lifestyles of political elites' children, revealing a stark contrast to the struggles of ordinary Nepali youth facing unemployment and economic hardship.
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— NewsX World (@NewsX) September 10, 2025
Then you have over 20% unemployment among the youth. In contrast, there is a “Nepo Kid” online trend where the children of the wealthy elite flaunt their luxurious lifestyles. The hashtags #PoliticiansNepoBabyNepal, #NepoKids, and #NepoBaby began circulating online during the protests. “The leaders’ children return from abroad with Gucci bags, the people’s children in coffins,” read a placard held by a protestor. The “coffin” remark may allude to the return of deceased Nepali citizens who work as mercenaries in the Ukraine-Russia war.
The parents of these Nepo Kids are extremely corrupt and have sold out their fellow countrymen in favor of their own self-interest. Transparency International, a nonprofit connected to the World Economic Forum and World Bank, deemed Nepal as the one of the most corrupt nations in Asia. The scandals are numerous. At least $71 million USD was embezzled during the construction of the international airport in Pokhara city. The New York Times reported that Nepali government leaders were preying on the youth through a scheme where they’d promise to secure them refugee status in the United States for a fee.
In January 2025, FORMER Prime Minister Oli’s administration declared an ordinance amending 29 laws, which reversed prior Supreme Court verdicts mainly against illegal land swaps and hoarding. The ruling protected corrupt government officials facing corruption charges. National property was transferred to private ownership for the government elite. Over the summer, there was a massive scandal connected to state-run enterprises issuing fraudulent contracts. The corruption is endless, and the children of these corrupt politicians openly flaunted their family’s unearned wealth online.
The protests began peacefully. The government quickly acted to silence the voice of the people. Social media is one of the last free platforms of speech that permits people to connect instantaneously. The revolution will not be televised, but it will be live streamed across all social media platforms. As the protests grew, the government began to panic and authorities became increasingly aggressive toward protestors until tensions rose to a head and the police began shooting into the crowd. The people of Nepal watched as a young boy in his school uniform was shot in the head by the police.
Revolts are swift and violent. Fueled by anger, the people began to destroy the government at its source. The Parliament building was infiltrated and burned to the ground before Former PM Oli could issue his recognition. Thousands of people livestreamed the event. Angry mobs sought out the politicians whom they believed were responsible for their economic hardships. PM Oli’s residence in Bhaktapur was set on fire, as was the residence of President Ram Chandra Paudel. The wife of Nepal’s largest political party, who also serves as the minister of foreign affairs, was ambushed and beaten in her home. The wife of Nepal’s former prime minister was unable to flee when her home was set ablaze and burned alive. I reported how the minister of finance was chased through the streets, beaten, and paraded around in his underwear before the people tossed him into the river.
(Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba was attacked in her home)
History has shown that these revolutions become extremely violent. Look at what the people did to Benito Mussolini, hanging his disfigured body in the public square. Or in France where the people executed Marie Anointenne who was known for flaunting her wealth in a perceived mockery of the poverty-stricken public. Civil unrest grows, government attempts to contain it with force, and the collective anger of the people implodes like a nuclear weapon. Violence is inevitable when the people feel unheard and have nothing to lose.
Reports are stating that certain dissenting political groups are using the revolution to push their own agenda. Former Prime Minister Prachanda went into hiding when the protests erupted and has been accused of employing bad actors to incite violence and kill his political rivals. Criminal court cases are being destroyed. Prisons have been infiltrated and hundreds of people have been released.
The mainstream media is portraying this as a Gen Z protest over social media because the political elite are scared. In reality, the people collectively rose up against government tyranny and toppled the government within 48 hours. Revolutions are the product of failed governments, corruption, and the refusal of those in power to yield when the cycle has already turned against them. The youth are the first to stand up because they have no vested interest in preserving a corrupt system. They see no future in servitude to debt or a political class that only serves itself.
Nepal’s revolution is a foreshadowing of what is to come elsewhere. It is always the smaller, weaker nations that flip first, sending shockwaves through the system. This is not about left versus right, rich versus poor, or even democracy versus authoritarianism. It is about the collapse in confidence in government itself. That is the real cycle, and it is in motion now.
