GEN Z PROTEST SYMBOLS

At Place de la Republique, the Orchestre du Nouveau Monde brought together hundreds of musicians to play popular, well-known pieces like the anti-fascist anthem Bella Ciao, along with songs from The Avengers and The Hunger Games.

The concert did not, of course, make the conflict disappear. What it offered was another way to see it, not simply as a confrontation between police and disorderly crowds, but as a collective performance of resistance.

Gen Z’s cultural symbols have also played a key role in generating viral spectacles. In France, students have appeared dressed as Batman, Chucky and other anime characters. People have protested dressed up as Pepe the Frog or holding the One Piece pirate flag, connecting Europe’s demonstrations to the symbols of global Gen Z protests, from Portland to Kathmandu.

Some students attending the October 17 protests told Le Monde “there’s no point in getting angry, so we might as well do it with a smile”. 

And that is precisely the point: Both memes and spectacle can put joy, humour and playfulness at the centre, making grievances visible on the protesters’ own terms and generating viral images that compete with negative media coverage.

The fire in Limoges and the orchestra in Paris are not competing truths, and neither should cancel the other out. What these events have in common is the framing of protests as viral spectacles, staged for the cameras, digital platforms and distant audiences.

A burning building and a massive concert are easy to capture on camera, while struggles over housing, the cost of living and the deterioration of public services are not. Understanding protest therefore means looking beyond the image that travels furthest, fastest and most easily. It means asking who selected them, and whose account they serve when they go viral.

Sara Garcia Santamaria is Assistant Professor in Journalism Studies at the Universitat de Valencia. This commentary first appeared on The Conversation.