During 2024's "Bloody July," hundreds of thousands of Bangladeshis rose up against corruption, class stratification, nepotism, and exploitation under former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her party, the Awami League. Protests began on June 5, 2024, with small student demonstrations against preferential access to civil service jobs at a time when 30 percent of young people who aren't students or in job training programs are unemployed. Protests grew throughout July and August, incorporating the working and middle class.