A British travel vlogger has become the unexpected chronicler of ongoing political upheaval in Nepal.
Harry, with the YouTube channel “Wehatethecold,” is known for his motorcycle travel vlogs which covered the on-ground footage from the violent Gen Z-led protests in Kathmandu going viral and garnered over 13M views.
The YouTuber started his two-wheeled journey from Thailand to the UK. But when he reached a stop in Nepal, his journey took an unexpected turn as political protests started in the country.
The protests ostensibly started when the government banned 26 social media platforms including major apps such as WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook.
But the demonstrations had deeper ties as weeks before that ban, a campaign named “nepo kid” took over Nepali social media highlighting the opulent lifestyle of Nepal’s political elite and children of the Nepali politicians.
Since then, the protests gained unstoppable momentum and couldn't be stopped even after the ban was lifted on Monday, September 8.
The situation turned deadly with nineteen protesters killed and hundreds injured.
Due to the curfew, Harry was left stranded amidst escalating demonstrations.
However, he didn’t lose hope; instead, he started filming the raw footage on his camera. His vlog captured raw footage that were not even seen on traditional media channels.
His videos show flames engulfing the parliament building, jets of tear gas, demonstrators fighting riot police, and people looting.
His shocked, first-person narration, where he is coughing at the tear gas and can hardly believe it, added the visceral, viral touch to the video. “I can’t believe my eyes right now,” he says as the parliament complex was on fire.
Netizens appreciated Harry's unfiltered recordings and profiled him as an “accidental conflict reporter.”
However, this viral fame follows several concerns. On Instagram, he expressed his worry about his legal status, stating he is in a “legal thing” and is “worried about getting deported.”
He also clarified that his videos were never meant to be political and just offered a compelling on-ground perspective of a historic event that eventually led to the resignation of Prime Minister of Nepal, KP Sharma Oli.
