A seemingly nonsensical phrase combining Arabic and French, "Bismillah, c'est les ténèbres", has become a rallying cry among student protesters in France, serving as a sarcastic jab at authorities suspected of trying to infiltrate their movement.
The slogan has spread amid protests over school resources and wider unrest across the country, reflecting tensions between young demonstrators and law enforcement, reports The New York Times.
What does the phrase mean?
"Bismillah" is an Arabic expression meaning "in the name of God", commonly used by Muslims. "C'est les ténèbres" translates from French as "it is the darkness".
Together, the words do not form a coherent expression in ordinary French or Arabic. Their awkward combination is part of the joke: protesters use the phrase to mock what they see as an implausible attempt by someone to imitate the way young people communicate online.
Where did it come from?
The phrase reportedly originated in messages circulated on Snapchat by an unidentified person seeking access to a private chat room used by student protest organisers.
The messages included the line "Bismillah, c'est les ténèbres", followed by the threat "We are going to break everything". They appeared under different profiles, including names such as Mamadou and Abdellah, some displaying Algerian flag emojis.
Other Snapchat users found the wording amusing, took screenshots and shared them on social media. The original source of the messages has not been independently verified, The New York Times reported.
Why do protesters suspect police involvement?
Many young people suspected the messages had been sent by law enforcement officials attempting to gain access to private protest groups. They viewed the wording as a clumsy imitation of the colloquial mix of Arabic and French sometimes used by young people in France.
Protesters then reclaimed the phrase as a way to ridicule suspected surveillance and signal that they remained alert to attempts to infiltrate their organising networks.
France's Interior Ministry did not confirm whether its agents had used the phrase. However, it told The New York Times that investigators sometimes adopt assumed online identities to communicate with people suspected of organising unlawful activities during protests.
The ministry said investigators could use pseudonyms to obtain and retain communications involving suspected offenders and gather evidence for legal proceedings.
How has the slogan become a symbol of wider tensions?
Beyond the joke, the phrase has come to represent a deeper divide between protesters and the authorities, particularly over how young people from minority communities are perceived.
Black and Arab French people, including descendants of immigrants from former French colonies, have long reported discrimination by law enforcement. Protesters say the messages reflect stereotypes about who might be involved in demonstrations, blockades or vandalism.
"No young person talks like that," Sabrine Kharbach, a spokeswoman for a prominent French student union, told The New York Times. She said young people had reclaimed the phrase to highlight suspected attempts to monitor their movements and affirm their ability to organise.
University student Sadanee Sabadi, who joined the protests in Bordeaux, said the messages reflected prejudice about the people authorities might assume were planning blockades or seeking to "break everything".
Phèdre Quémener, a high school student in Paris, said the phrase had become a national joke because it was "such a terrible impersonation of a young person". She added that it was also seen as racist because it implied that Arabs were responsible for vandalism.
How far has the slogan spread?
The phrase has appeared at demonstrations in Belgium and Germany. Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg also repeated it in a video shared by an Instagram account expressing solidarity with the French student movement.
Its spread reflects how online jokes and memes can become symbols of protest, particularly when demonstrators use humour to challenge authority.
A similar dynamic has appeared in India, where a student-led movement demanding improvements to education adopted the name "Cockroach" after the country's top judge reportedly described young, unemployed Indians as "parasites" and "cockroaches".
What sparked the French student protests?
The demonstrations began last month and spread across hundreds of schools. Students called for better-maintained facilities, more teachers, smaller classes and less demanding schedules.
While many demonstrations remained peaceful, others descended into violence. Government figures cited by The New York Times indicate that at least 24 schools were set on fire or ransacked and roughly 8,000 people were arrested.
The protests later merged with a broader movement involving labour unions and campaign groups, culminating in nationwide demonstrations over the weekend that were overshadowed by widespread rioting.
The police response has further intensified tensions. France's official police watchdog is investigating at least 34 allegations of police misconduct linked to the protests since last month. The cases include that of a 14-year-old boy who was maimed by a tear-gas grenade fired by an officer at close range, The New York Times reported.