Memes, music and mayhem are giving Gen Z’s protests a language of their own
- Protesters blasted They Don’t Care About Us, Sadda Haq and Give Me Some Sunshine across the streets.
- Classic Bollywood references dominate the timeline. A photo of police detaining a confused bystander circulated widely with the text, “Aye Circuit, galat aadmi ko uthaya!”
- Arrests came with their own soundtracks, from viral Tere Nakhre audio to chaotic Delhi Belly tracks. Even the “Everyone knows I am a good girl” trend made it to the protest, turning tense encounters into viral reels.
Main character energy
- A student picked up a smoking tear gas shell and threw it back, instantly earning the internet’s “main character” tag.
- One protester turned a bruise into content with: “Mumma, main protest main aa gaya and lathi bhi padi.”
- What I ate in a protest crossed a million views, while another reel dubbed the police-protester equation a “love and hate relationship”.
Students fleeing riot police turned the chaotic chase into live-action Subway Surfers, making baton-dodging legitimate cardio. One fitness vlogger shared smartwatch data of a frantic alleyway route, captioning it: “Personal best for the 5K sprint. Huge thanks to the riot squad for the serious motivation.”