Last week, a story in Waging Nonviolence about India’s “cockroach” movement gave me hope that American democracy is not yet lost.

On May 15, the Chief Justice of India’s Supreme Court compared young activists to “cockroaches” and “parasites.” The next day, a student responded on X, “What if the cockroaches marched?”

So march they did. Protests of over 50,000 people! Social media platforms totaling 25 million followers! It launched a movement called the “Cockroach Junta Party.” Activists have done a heckuva job combining humor with astute political messaging, along with a list of specific demands.

The nationwide protests have shaken the authoritarian government of Narendra Modi. Already, one key government official has resigned.

From the Waging Nonviolence story: Over 100 protesters have since been arrested, despite assurances from the government that demonstrators would not be punished. 

When Delhi last saw a mass youth mobilization in 2020, the state answered by naming the organizers in a conspiracy chargesheet: Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam have now been held for more than five years under India’s 1967 anti-terror law and were refused bail again on July 4, 16 days before the cockroaches marched on Parliament.

This sounds eerily familiar. Like Modi, President Trump demonizes his perceived enemies, calling us “scum” and “vermin.” Continue Reading →