Edmonton-Nepalese community hold vigil to honour victims of violent protests in Nepal
Posted September 9, 2025 7:44 pm.
Hundreds of Edmonton’s Nepalese community gathered Monday night to light candles and mourn the loss caused by the violent protests in their home country.
Youth in Nepal are protesting a government social media ban that has now been lifted. What was supposed to be peaceful turned violent when police clashed with protestors.
Several widely used social networks, including Facebook, X, and YouTube, were blocked in the Himalayan nation last week after failing to comply with a new requirement to register and submit to government oversight.
Rallies against the ban swelled to tens of thousands of people in Kathmandu, and crowds surrounded the parliament building before police opened fire on the demonstrators.
At least 19 people have died, with hundreds more injured.
“It breaks our hearts seeing the images, videos coming out of the place we were born, where we called home as kids,” said Avash Pimsina, vigil organizer. “Everyone woke up this morning in pure shock at 19 beautiful souls lost. Encourage your MPs and MLAs to see what we can do in Canada. Our biggest festival is around the corner, so we celebrate with our family. We’re thinking about those families who don’t have their kids to celebrate the biggest festival of our country.”
The violence unfolded as Nepal’s government pursues a broader attempt to regulate social media with a bill aimed at ensuring the platforms are “properly managed, responsible and accountable.”
The proposal has been widely criticized as a tool for censorship and for punishing government opponents who voice their protests online. The registration requirement applied to about two dozen social networks widely used in Nepal.
There are more than 10,000 Nepalese living in Edmonton, and hundreds of thousands are believed to be living in Canada.
With files from Associated Press
