The Briefing Room - Are Gen Z movements reshaping politics?

Download Are Gen Z movements reshaping politics?

In May, the Chief Justice of India unwittingly gave a name to a generational protest. He called unemployed young people “cockroaches” and the mass youth movement that had begun in the wake of the sudden cancellation of a national exam took on the title - the Cockroach Janta party.

But India hasn’t been the only country that has seen Gen Z - people aged between 14 and 29 - engaging in mass protests this year. It’s been happening all over the place, from Serbia to Kenya. Different grievances, different circumstances, but the same generation.

So what are the youth revolting about, and are they winning?

Step inside The Briefing Room and together we’ll find out.

Guests:

Dr Nayana Prakash, research affiliate at the Minderoo Centre for Technology and Democracy at the University of Cambridge. Erica Frantz, associate professor in political science at Michigan State University Matthew Cebul, lead research fellow at the Nonviolent Action Lab at the Harvard Kennedy School

Production team:

Presenter: David Aaronovitch Producers: Ben Carter, Emma Close and Kirsteen Knight Editor: Penny Murphy Sound engineer: James Beard Production co-ordinator: Keshia Agyei

Published on Thursday, 27th August 2026.

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