They shall not pass

File:On Ne Passe Pas 1918.jpg

The 1918 French propaganda poster by Maurice Neumont that reads: "Twice I have stood and vanquished on the Marne. Brother civilian, the underhand offensive of 'white peace' will attack you in turn; and like me you must stand firm and vanquish. Be strong and shrewd. Beware of Boche hypocrisy."

"They shall not pass" (Template:Langx and Template:Langx; Template:Langx; Template:Langx) is a slogan, notably used by France in World War I, to express a determination to defend a position against an enemy. Its Spanish-language form was also used as an anti-fascist slogan during the Spanish Civil War by the Republican faction.

Origin

File:On ne passe pas-1915.jpg

French card, 1915

The widespread use of the slogan originates from the 1916 Battle of Verdun in the First World War when French Army General Robert Nivelle urged his troops not to let the enemy pass. The simplified slogan of "they shall not pass" appeared on French war propaganda posters, most notably by French artist Maurice Neumont in the last year of the war after the Allied victory at the Second Battle of the Marne.

Later during the First World War, the slogan was also used by Romanian Army soldiers during the Battle of Mărășești, with the Romanian translation of the phrase being "", translating as "One does not pass through here."

Later use

French socialist politician Léon Blum (SFIO), in 1934, used this sentence "" against the Ligue's demonstration of 6 February. ("they") designated the nationalist protesters.

It was also used during the Spanish Civil War, this time at the siege of Madrid by Dolores Ibárruri Gómez ("Pasionaria"), a member of the Communist Party of Spain, in her famous "" speech. The leader of the Nationalist forces, Francisco Franco, upon gaining Madrid, responded to this slogan by declaring "" ("We have passed").

"" was used by British anti-fascists during the October 1936 Battle of Cable Street, and is still used in this context in some political circles. It was often accompanied by the words (we will pass) to indicate that communists rather than fascists will be the ones to seize state power.

The slogan was adopted on uniform badges by French units manning the Maginot Line.

The phrase was brought to the public consciousness again following action in December 1943 by French-Canadian officer Paul Triquet of the Royal 22^e Regiment; his action included his use of Nivelle's phrase "to win a key objective at Ortona, Italy, in the face of overwhelming German opposition."

In the 1980s, the phrase was a theme in the Central American crisis, particularly in the Nicaraguan Revolution. is also the title of a 1984 documentary by David Bradbury about the events in Nicaragua that led to the overthrow of Somoza's dictatorship.

In 2024, it was adopted as a motto by the 155th Mechanized Brigade (Ukraine), because it was trained and equipped by France.

Gallery

• Script error: No such module "Lang"., French medal for the Battle of Verdun
  , French medal for the Battle of Verdun
• Red plaque from Tower Hamlets Environment Trust reading The Battle of Cable Street. The people of East London rallied to Cable Street on the 4th October 1936 and forced back the march of the fascist Oswald Mosley and his Blackshirts through the streets of the East End. 'They Shall Not Pass'
  Red plaque commemorating the Battle of Cable Street
• Tomb of the unknown soldier at the Mausoleum of Mărășești with the inscription "Script error: No such module "Lang"."
  Tomb of the unknown soldier at the Mausoleum of Mărășești with the inscription ""

See also

• Awake iron!
• Molon labe
• Russian warship, go fuck yourself
• Order No. 227 (Stalin's "Not one step back" order)
• Venceremos
• Raised fist
• List of last stands