Featured Image Credit: wehatethecold / YouTube
A British travel vlogger accidentally went viral after he found himself in the middle of Nepal’s political chaos.
Since 8 September, Nepal has been rocked by youth-led protests triggered by anger over alleged corruption and a brief social media ban.
The KP Oli government reportedly banned 26 social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, YouTube, and X, for failing to meet a deadline that complied with local registration requirements.
Authorities reported at least 51 deaths while several government buildings went up in flames.
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During the unrest, Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli resigned, the parliament was dissolved, and former Chief Justice Sushila Karki was appointed as the interim Prime Minister.
YouTuber Harry from wehatethecold normally posts motorbike travel vlogs that barely scrape 100,000 views. However, his latest video, set in the centre of Nepal's coup, made his channel explode in popularity.
One clip called 'The side of Nepal the media won’t show you,' racked up over 20 million views in just a few days.
In his first viral clip, the vlogger is moving through crowds as police fire tear gas and protesters push toward government buildings. Vehicles were smashed and looters were seen fleeing with computer monitors and keyboards.
He admits to viewers on camera: “I should not be here.”
Later in the video, the creator says he 'experiences tear gas for the first time in his life,' while you can see smoke rise across the city and people shouting: “Parliament is burning”.
However, locals offered Harry water and urged him to stay safe, which made him realise 'the humanity still remains even though there’s chaos that way.'
Harry's next video shows Kathmandu under strict curfew and fuel shortages as the footage reveals closed shops, burned-out cars, checkpoints, barbed wire and eerily quiet streets.
The content creator calls it 'almost a ghost town' and points out that life is 'going normal' under military control.
Despite the intense scenes, people still stop Harry for selfies, joking that he should 'be in charge now' after his videos went viral across Nepal.
Some social media users on X are claiming he’s basically a celebrity in Nepal at this point.
Authorities have eased curfews as the interim government settles in, with elections scheduled for 5 March, but families of the victims are demanding accountability.
Meanwhile, wehatethecold says he plans to stick around to keep filming life in Kathmandu as Nepal goes through this turbulent transition.
