Student Protesters in France Have a Strange New Slogan. What Does It Mean? “Bismillah, c’est les ténèbres”

New York times ^ | 20yh October 2026 | Zane Irwin

[Cronos]

As hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets across France this past weekend in support of student protesters, many displayed a somewhat mystifying rallying cry on their cardboard signs: “Bismillah, c’est les ténèbres.”

The phrase, a mash-up of the Islamic blessing “In the name of God” and the French phrase “It’s the darkness,” may make little sense on the surface.

The poster addressed Snapchat users with the greeting “Bismillah, c’est les ténèbres,” a seemingly nonsensical phrase that appeared to mimic the colloquial blend of Arabic and French that young people in France sometimes use.

The writer then added, “We are going to break everything.”

“No young person talks like that,” Sabrine Kharbach, a spokeswoman for a prominent French student union, said. “Young people have reclaimed this phrase to point out that attempts to monitor and infiltrate their movements do not go unnoticed, and to assert their ability to organize in spite of them.”

Sadanee Sabadi, a university student in Bordeaux who has joined the protests, said in an interview that the Snapchat messages betrayed a “prejudice” about the types of people who officers believed were setting up blockades or aiming to “break everything.”

Phèdre Quémener, a high school student in Paris, said that “Bismillah, c’est les ténèbres” had become a national joke because “it is such a terrible impersonation of a young person.”

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TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; France
KEYWORDS: eutruth; frenchtruth; liberaltruth; muslimtruth

[Cronos]

Bismillah I will not let him go

[Organic Panic]

Students my arse.

[dfwgator]

That was a hanging curve ball over the middle of the plate.

[MeanWestTexan]

Pretty sure they’re chanting “Du fleuve Seine à la mer, la Nouvelle Palestine sera libre ! Au nom d’Allah !”

[sjmjax]

Unfortunately, we can’t directly post memes.

There’s one of a Muslim holding a passport.
“I’m French!”

The other is an obese dude pigging out on the couch.
“I have a gym meeting. I’m an athlete!”

[Bonemaker]

"...in support of student protesters..."

[Tommy Revolts]

I see what you did there. Good call.

[Blogatron]

Bix nood.

[Hatteras]

LET HIM GO.....

[Bonemaker]

“Bismillah, c’est les ténèbres”

Tareau merde.

[monkeyshine]

It’s idiomatic so you can interpret it how you like. I am not sure what they mean by it.

Bismillah = In the Name of God (Arabic)
C’est les ténèbres = these are the bleak times (French).

You could interpret it as wishing for darkness/bad times, or more optimistically, that they hope this is the worst of it. I can translate it and read into it but concede I have no clue what the protestors mean by it.

[Skywise]

Yeah, I have to wonder now about all those previous communist “student” uprisings in history in Russia, China and Cuba and wonder if they really were students or taller was just the narrative because attacking insurrectionists with the military is good. But “students” is bad.

[LukeL]

I think Macron will channel his best Louis XV (or Andrew Cunanan) and one up them with the phrase “Après moi, le déluge”

[ClearCase_guy]

I think this is an echo of Bakunin — “The Destructive urge is also a Creative urge.”

But, historically, what that has tended to mean something along the lines of — “let’s break everything. Let’s destroy civilization. Because, you know, in the end, probably, we might be able to rebuild something, and, possibly, it will be better than western civilization. Maybe.”

I see young people embracing that (it’s an old way of looking at things) but I understand the Islamists have no doubts — kill western civilization and replace it with Sharia Law.

[Sir_Humphrey]

This will come here. The Red-Green Axis will try to cause civil unrest here. My only advise is to be prepared. And you can interpret this however you want.

[NoLibZone]

[E. Pluribus Unum]

“Student protester” is code similar to “teens.”

[GenXPolymath]

Inshallah in Arabic means “if God wills it” directly.

In (إن): conditional particle meaning “if”
Sha’a (شَاءَ): verb meaning “willed” or “desired”
Allah (اللَّهُ): proper name for “God”

It is used whenever someone talks about a future event or intention, acknowledging that the outcome rests with God.

So that French equivalent to spanglish that people speak in b Texas.

Would be

” if God wills it then darkness”

I speak little French but plenty of Arabic from my working in the sand box.

[Dilbert San Diego]

Many of the “students “ appear to be middle aged Moslem men.

Then Greta Thunberg showed up for unknown reasons. But she was apparently not concerned with the carbon footprint and fumes from all the fires.

[Dilbert San Diego]

Many of the “students “ appear to be middle aged Moslem men.

Then Greta Thunberg showed up for unknown reasons. But she was apparently not concerned with the carbon footprint and fumes from all the fires.