Thousands of protesters, mainly young people, have taken to the streets in Nepal to protest against the ban on social media platforms by Prime Minister Sharma Oli. For young people who have endured an existence of mass misery, joblessness, and hopelessness, the ban on social media platforms has become the straw that has broken the camel’s back.
The ban was lifted days later, but by then protests had swelled into a mass movement. Angry crowds set fire to parliament and government buildings in the capital Kathmandu, forcing Sharma Oli to resign.
Youth unemployment as of 2024 stood at 20%, while over 700,000 young people annually seek work outside the country. The employment programme initiated by Sharma this year successfully employed just about 3,300 out of over 800,000 who applied. The explosive struggle in Nepal shows that the conditions for the development of revolutionary situations exist and that the need for the working class to enter the struggle with a socialist programme is vital.
