Young people are rising up in France. Swing your gaze further and you’ll see them rising up in India, Morocco, Kenya, Peru and more, too. Let’s take a look.
Students in Paris holding signs reading, “No fascism at home” and “More funding for education, not for weapons” during a protest against the government’s release of next year’s draft budget, 29 September 2026. (AP Photo/Teresa Suarez)
Editor’s note: On 21 September, students at a school in the Paris suburb of Créteil, France walked out in protest. Since then, hundreds of other similar protests have sprung up in and around Paris. The students are protesting such things as crowded classrooms, underfunded schools and crumbling buildings.
But the anger expressed by these young people in Paris isn’t limited to France. To help put into perspective the frustrations youth are feeling and the actions they are taking, we present a selection of articles by our professional and student correspondents from across the globe. From these stories you can see that young people have been protesting — sometimes at great risk to themselves — in India, Peru, Kenya, Uganda, Morocco, Hong Kong, Sri Lanka and Sudan.
We launched Decoder Replay to help readers better understand current world events by seeing how our correspondents and student reporters decoded similar events in the past.
A “cockroach” infestation in India
By Aatif Ammad
Calling unemployed youth pests doesn’t make them go away. Instead, they are mobilizing for change in systems where they are treated with contempt.
When education stopped making sense in Morocco
By Ahmed Elias Koudir
Young people across the globe are taking to the streets. In Morocco one demand is clear: Give us an education that helps us navigate the world we live in.
Youth power rises in Kenya and Uganda
By Enock Wanderema
Strong governments in East Africa are grappling with a new problem: angry, organized young people demanding change.
Trading in bullets for ballots in Sri Lanka
By Feizal Samath
After failed attempts to topple the Sri Lankan government, a rebel group has come to power through peaceful means, with the help of a youth movement.
Youth in Sudan helped topple a ruthless dictator
By Susan Ruel
Among pro-democracy protesters around the world in 2019, youth and women in Sudan led a movement that ousted a ruthless, 30-year dictatorship.
Police pushback against protesters in Peru
By Alfonso Silva-Santisteban
Peru has had six presidents in five years. The one constant? A government that reacts with force when people call for change.
Fighting for human rights in Uganda
By Enock Wanderema
One young Ugandan activist says its time for her generation to stand up and exercise the power their constitution gives them.
The return of youth protesters in Hong Kong
By Jonathan Sharp
Youth in Hong Kong have poured into the streets to protest against a proposed law they say threatens the city’s autonomy. Are they pushing their luck?
