Gen Z protests are having a moment.
In just the last month, Nepal, Indonesia, the Philippines and Madagascar have all seen large protests led by young people outraged over government corruption and inequality. Flying above each of the protests was a common flag: a grinning skull and bones wearing a straw hat.
“I think we are entering a new era of organizing that draws heavily from digital, pop and gaming culture, creating a common vocabulary,” said Raqib Naik, the director of the Center for the Study of Organized Hate, a U.S.-based watchdog group that tracks online activity and misinformation.
The “One Piece” flag is being used by protesters who are thousands of kilometers apart. But they are linked by their generation’s shared culture, fusing popular narratives and antiestablishment politics into a force that has brought down at least two governments — and counting.
— Additional reporting by Parin Behrooz and Hannah Beech
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