{
  "id": 14046846,
  "title": "‘A simple joke became a revolution’: Montrealers back India’s ‘Cockroach’ youth",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/12/a-simple-joke-became-a-revolution-montrealers-back-indias-cockroach",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-12T21:23:31.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Global News",
    "slug": "global-news",
    "url": "https://globalnews.ca/news/12099915/montreal-protest-support-cockroach-youth-india/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Montrealers rallied in solidarity with Indian youth protesting what they call an “increase in the steady loss of democracy” and “unimaginable violence” in India. Activists refer to the young demonstrators as the “Cockroach” youth movement, a term coined when India's Chief Justice compared India's youth to cockroaches for their reliance on social media to attack institutions without action. The protests escalated after the election authorities began revising voter lists, removing over 130 million voters. The protests have drawn opposition parties and participants demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Election Commission have denied allegations of manipulation, claiming the move is necessary to remove duplicate and ineligible names. Violent clashes erupted over the weekend as thousands of protesters were detained in a police crackdown. Abid Khan told Global News, \"In my opinion, they are creating a beginning stage of fascism. They are basically creating an atmosphere of fear. People cannot speak, people cannot protest, people cannot demand their justice.\" Rundranil Raha explained that he was taught India was an inclusive country, but the current government is \"sowing the seeds of hatred that aims to divide the country.\" He added that women, LGBTQ2 people, and ethnic and religious minorities are suffering the most. Canadian supporters of the movement span beyond the Indian diaspora, with Zahra Haider stating, \"As a Pakistani, I feel like it is my duty to also provide cross-solidarity because what happens in India does affect the rest of the region.\" Rahul Varma, another protest attendee, said, \"It is not anymore a problem of a particular country.\" However, the federal government is pursuing deeper trade ties with India, with International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu in India to work on a free-trade agreement. Varma emphasized that Canada must ensure human rights are prioritized before advancing the relationship.",
  "summary": "The \"Cockroach\" youth movement has intensified in India since election authorities began revising voter lists last year, removing more than 130 million voters.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}