00:00Burn the offices down. Kill all politicians.
00:03These are some of the messages from Discord,
00:05showing how the platform became a control room for Nepal's Gen Z protests.
00:09They came from the Hami Nepal server,
00:10a digital command center for demonstrations
00:12that have already claimed at least 20 lives.
00:15After the killing of protesters on September 8th,
00:17there was clearly palpable anger in the discussion groups of Youths Against Corruption,
00:21the banner created for the demonstrations.
00:23Protesters exchanged maps, coordinated safe routes, and shared live updates.
00:28But they also posted darker calls for retaliation.
00:30Since the groups were not moderated, anyone could post anything,
00:33and they allegedly did,
00:34urging violence against politicians, their families,
00:37the armed forces, and government officials.
00:39Similar messages were widely circulated as well.
00:41A message blaming Chhabi Rijal, Kathmandu's chief district officer,
00:44for September 8th's firing,
00:46and calling on people to target his daughter in the US,
00:48was shared over 57,000 times with her address circulating widely.
00:53At one point, a Discord poll even declared Sushila Karki
00:56as the leading choice for Nepal's interim prime minister,
00:58before Kulmang Ghi Singh's name began gaining traction offline
01:01on the afternoon of 11th September.
01:03But by then, Discord, once just a gamers hub,
01:05had clearly transformed into a political war room for the Gen Z of Nepal.
01:09Another app that was popular among protesters was BitChat.
01:12Over 48,000 Nepalese downloaded Jack Torsi's peer-to-peer app BitChat
01:17during the protests,
01:18turning it into an underground communication tool after the social media ban.
01:21The surge even surpassed a similar spike seen in Indonesia's corruption protests just a week earlier.
01:27Here's the catch.
01:29Bans did not silence Gen Z.
01:30VPNs kept servers alive, bypassing firewalls,
01:33and making it nearly impossible to shut down the conversation.
01:36A major VPN provider reported growth of 500 to 6,000% in just three days after the ban,
01:41and up to 8,000% within five days,
01:44underscoring how users bypass internet censorship to stay connected.
01:47When Discord was not accessible, TikTok and Viber became backup hubs.
01:51But what set these protesters apart was the vibe.
01:53This was not just anger on the streets.
01:55It was an expression.
01:56Youngsters filming dancing reels in the middle of rallies.
01:59Groups sitting cross-legged on pavements playing Uno.
02:02Volunteers cleaning streets with brooms and determination after violent protests.
02:06Protesters doing outfit vibe checks as if Defiance itself was fashion.
02:10Another unforgettable moment?
02:12Cash that was stolen from the Energy Minister's house was thrown in the air.
02:15These are Gen Z protesters for you. Defiant, creative, unstoppable.
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