Hundreds of thousands of people across France joined demonstrations this past weekend in support of student protesters, many carrying signs emblazoned with the unusual phrase “Bismillah, c’est les ténèbres.” The slogan, combining the Arabic phrase “In the name of God” with the French words meaning “It’s the darkness,” has emerged as a symbol of generational and cultural tensions surrounding ongoing student-led protests.
The phrase appears to have originated on Snapchat, where a user seeking entry to a private chat room for protest organizers posted the message. The posts, repeated under various profiles with Arabic or North African names and Algerian flag emojis, included the phrase alongside a threat to “break everything.” Screenshots of these messages soon circulated on social media, although their precise origins could not be independently verified.
Many young demonstrators suspect that the messages were part of a law enforcement effort to infiltrate and disrupt the protests. In response, protesters adopted the phrase sarcastically as a way to mock authorities’ perceived attempts to undermine their movement. The slogan now encapsulates broader frustrations with what many students and minority communities see as discriminatory and heavy-handed policing.
France’s Interior Ministry declined to confirm whether its officers used the phrase but acknowledged that law enforcement agents sometimes assume false online identities to gather information on suspected organizers of illegal protest activities. The ministry said that investigators “have the option of creating a pseudonym” to collect communications and evidence for potential legal action.
For many young protesters, the awkward and unnatural language in the messages was seen as a clumsy caricature of their demographic and a reminder of the government’s refusal to meet their demands. Sabrine Kharbach, a spokesperson for a major French student union, said the slogan has been reclaimed to highlight surveillance efforts while affirming the students’ resilience. University student Sadane Sabbadi noted that the messages revealed “prejudice” about who the authorities believe are responsible for disruptive actions during protests.
Others have interpreted the phrase as reflecting racial stereotypes. High school student Prêche Quemerien in Paris called the slogan “a national joke” due to its unconvincing attempt to imitate youth speech and said it exemplifies racism by targeting Arab communities as suspects behind potential vandalism.
The slogan’s influence has extended beyond France, appearing in demonstrations in Belgium and Germany. Swedish environmental activist Maya Thunberg also referenced it in an Instagram video expressing solidarity with the movement, along with other generational memes. Observers have likened the phrase’s use to similar expression of defiant humor in student-led protests elsewhere, such as India’s Cockroach movement, which likewise emerged in response to government neglect of educational needs.
Overall, “Bismillah, c’est les ténèbres” has grown into a potent emblem of youth dissent and the fraught relationship between students, minority communities, and state authorities in France and beyond.