A protester holds a placard reading “Bismillah c’est les tenebres” (Bismillah, it’s darkness) during a demonstration by French high school and university students in Nantes as part of a nationwide protest movement
The student demonstrations later fed into nationwide cost-of-living protests on October 17, which ended in rioting and looting.
“Bismillah, c’est les ténèbres”, also repeated by climate activist Greta Thunberg, has spread from placards outside blockaded schools to viral videos. France’s high school protests have given rise to a string of slogans, but one cryptic phrase has emerged as an unlikely rallying cry. The phrase came from a screenshot of a Snapchat conversation that began circulating in early October, when students were using the platform to organise school blockades. Students have protested against long school days, overcrowded classrooms, deteriorating school buildings and teacher absences. Many argue that these problems disproportionately affect working-class suburbs and minority communities. You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.