‘I arrived in Nepal as 20 people were killed – and thought I might die too’

A British tourist rolled into Nepal on the first day of the ‘Gen Z protests’ – which saw at least 30 people killed and its Parliament building set on fire – but he had no idea what was happening.

Harry, who is behind the YouTube channel ‘We Hate The Cold’, crossed the India-Nepal border on Monday evening and headed straight for the capital Kathmandu, which resembled a battlefield.

Realising his mobile did not have any data, the 28-year-old pulled his bike on the side of a road to try and find a hotel.

‘This is when someone came up to me, saying that I need to go to a hotel because there is curfew, and that 20 people have been shot,’ Harry recalled the harrowing experience in an interview with Metro.

‘It was a moment of disbelief. The person who came up to me helped me find a hotel and as I was driving, I had to go through a small mob who were chucking rocks at the riot police.

‘The police shot a gun in the air [in response].’

Harry has been in Nepal for four days now, coming face to face with some of the most brutal moments of the Gen Z uprising.

Footage shows him speeding through Kathmandu on his motorbike as tear gas canisters explode, and protesters hurl stones at riot police while black smoke billows from government buildings.

A video he shared on his YouTube page of the clashes has so far gathered more than 10 million views and counting, and he says he has now become a recognisable figure in the city.

He said: ‘Among the insane amount of aggression and violence, there was this incredible sense of humanity.

‘People were protecting me – telling me where not to go, offering me water, even giving me safe passage through the crowd…

‘They saw my camera and they wanted international media to see what is going on in Nepal because they felt they were being misrepresented.

‘They said, “The protest is not about social media. That was just the final straw”.’

Political turmoil has gripped the Himalayan country since the government announced a ban on dozens of social media sites, including Facebook, Tik Tok and Instagram.

Nepalis say this was just the spark that lit the flame, and that the riots are against rampant corruption.

Prime minister KP Sharma Oli has resigned since and the social media ban has been reversed.

In the meantime, representatives of the protesters met with military officials at the army headquarters in Kathmandu to discuss a transitional leader.

Looking back at the last four days, Harry said: ‘It kind of just unfolded into this absolute madness that I ha never seen before… like Doomsday.

‘Tear gas was going off, gunshots in the air, fireballs across the sky. There were moments where I thought, “Oh wow, I might actually die here.”‘

Observing the emblematic burning of the Parliament complex was ‘quite insane’ for him and ‘almost did not feel real.’

The tourist added: ‘A very big mix of strong emotions – you are being fired at, you experience tear gas, you laugh with people, you share things with people, you hear things get blown up.

‘A lot of it did not feel real, but also very real all at the same time.’

A nationwide curfew is currently in place and Harry said that ‘none of the shops are open, and everything is boarded up.’

Armed troops are guarding the main areas of Kathmandu, restoring some order.

Meanwhile, soldiers are checking vehicles and resident have been urged to remain in their homes.

Harry explained what the situation looks like right now: ‘It is wildly peaceful now – but you can still smell the smoke in the air.

‘Some buildings are completely charred, windows smashed, but across the street a hospital is untouched. Clearly, there is a code of ethics about what they destroy.’

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