Every generation has its protest moment, and that time is now for Gen Z. Last week, youth-led protests in Madagascar forced President Andry Rajoelina out of office. It followed the Gen-Z toppling of rulers in Nepal and Peru and upheavals in Indonesia, the Philippines, Kenya, Morocco, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. The “TikTok generation” is “demanding” political change, said the Financial Times, “and in some cases,” they are getting it. 

What did the commentators say?
“What connects these youth-led protests is a shared sense that traditional political systems aren’t responsive to their generation’s concerns, whether that’s corruption, climate change or economic inequality,” Sam Nadel, the director of Social Change Lab, said to The Independent. “Protest then becomes the logical outlet.” 

The “immediate trigger” may vary from country to country, but there are commonalities in the cause, said Katrin Bennhold at The New York Times. Take Nepal and Madagascar — both have a population with a median age under 30, high youth unemployment, and “patronage” that’s “endemic.” 

Perhaps what’s “most interesting” about the countries “seized by Gen Z protest” is “what they are not,” said Christian Caryl at Foreign Policy. They are not autocracies but democracies, albeit often “illiberal, corrupt or grossly unequal” ones. And most of the young demonstrators want to see their grievances addressed through a “renewal of those democratic institutions, rather than a wholesale rejection of them.” It seems they have an “underlying faith in the possibility of reform.”

What next?
The protesters’ lack of “obvious leaders” is a “strength, making them hydra-headed and harder to suppress,” said the Financial Times. But it’s also a weakness. “Without the means to convert legitimate anger into coherent policies,” they are “susceptible to charismatic strongmen offering instant solutions.” 

In Nepal and Madagascar, “what drove them and what has happened since the surprise revolutions unseated two governments” speak to that paradox, said Bennhold. The military has now seized power in Madagascar, while in Nepal, the interim prime minister has “frozen out” the youth-protest voice. The “young Gen Z revolutionaries have real power. But they don’t have the power to control what they have begun or to ensure that the movements they started actually improve their lives.”

As President Donald Trump continues to push a militarized occupation of Chicago in the name of the administration’s anti-immigration agenda, residents across the Windy City have seized upon a simple, affordable way to alert their community to impending immigration-related danger: metal and plastic whistles. Chicagoans have turned to small noisemakers as a way to share warnings and activate residents when federal agents are in the area. 

‘It’s our responsibility to watch out for each other’
Organizers in Chicago have been “sending out the tiny plastic alarm systems by the thousands” and are training activists with a “simple method” to use the noisemakers, said The Wall Street Journal. “Short bursts” notify people that immigration agents are “in the area,” and “one sustained note” announces an “imminent arrest.” The “dual purpose” of these actions is to signal to at-risk populations who could “get swept up in one of the raids to avoid the area” and also “attract citizens who want to act as observers” for any immigration arrests.

Activists regard the whistles as a means to “fight back against what many see as overly aggressive immigration arrests,” said Chicago Public Media. Whistle users claim that after sounding an alarm, immigration agents tend to “limit their time in a community or decrease their aggressiveness.” 

Since August, whistles have been passed out by coffee shops, bars and adult stores and at “whistlemania” events. At these, volunteers hand out kits that include “‘Know Your Rights’ information, whistles and a zine with instructions on how to use them,” said the Chicago Tribune. “It’s our responsibility to watch out for each other,” said attendee Mike Delgado to Block Club Chicago. 

Broader community safety effort
Over the past several weeks of the Trump administration’s ongoing Chicago operations, many residents have launched volunteer groups to “monitor their neighborhoods for federal immigration agents,” sharing alerts across both social media and encrypted messaging apps, said The New York Times. In addition to warning migrants of potential raids, volunteers are “contacting family members of those detained and linking detained immigrants with legal services,” said NPR.

Despite the de-escalation reported by whistle activists, the Department of Homeland Security has downplayed the tactic. “Agitators aren’t deterring or slowing down law enforcement,” said DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin to the Journal. Agents are “not afraid of loud noises and whistles.”

A transmission tower lies knocked down by strong winds from Storm Benjamin in Biere, Switzerland. The federal government issued a level 3 out of 5 warning for the northern Alps region as the weather system brings in heavy rain and powerful gusts.
Fabrice Coffrini / AFP via Getty Images

Traveling can do a number on your skin. With the low humidity in airplane cabins and drastically different climate at your final destination, dryness is all but guaranteed. Rehydrate your skin with these soothing easy-to-pack items.

Arcona Triad Pads
Soaked in a formula of cranberry extract, witch hazel, rice milk and essential fatty acids, Arcona’s Triad Pads keep skin “supple, smooth and conditioned,” said Allure. Use the pads as a toner, cleanser or makeup remover. Get ready to glow. ($12+, Arcona)

Hempz Triple Moisture Herbal Whipped Body Creme
Made with pure hempseed and other natural oils, Hempz’s whipped body cream leaves users “wowed” with its “easily spreadable texture,” said Wirecutter. It absorbs quickly and locks in moisture for hours, with a “long-lasting” citrus scent that’s “seriously durable.” ($7+, Ulta)

Summer Fridays Jet Lag Mist
Hydration is just a spritz away with Summer Fridays’ Jet Lag Mist. The soothing, ultrafine mist is “instantly calming” and provides “lasting moisture,” said Allure, thanks to a blend of ceramides and plant-derived squalane. Spray it whenever you want a quick boost. ($21, Sephora)