No Pasaran: Meaning and History of the Slogan
¡No pasarán! You hear it at demonstrations, read it on banners and see it on walls all over the world. It means "they shall not pass". But where does the slogan come from, and why is it still so powerful almost a century later?
From Verdun to Madrid
The idea first became famous in French during the First World War. At the Battle of Verdun in 1916, the phrase "Ils ne passeront pas" became a rallying cry for soldiers defending the city.
Twenty years later, it found its true home. In July 1936, a military coup tried to overthrow the Spanish Republic, starting the Spanish Civil War. In a radio speech, the communist politician Dolores Ibárruri, known as La Pasionaria, called on the people to resist: "¡No pasarán!". When fascist troops reached Madrid that autumn, the slogan was everywhere: on banners, on walls and on the lips of the people defending the city.
A worldwide antifascist cry
Tens of thousands of volunteers from more than fifty countries joined the International Brigades to fight alongside the Republic. They carried "No pasarán" back home with them. The same year, in October 1936, the crowds who blocked a fascist march through London's East End at the Battle of Cable Street used the same words: "They shall not pass".
Franco's forces eventually won the war in 1939, and his supporters mocked the slogan with "¡Hemos pasado!", "we have passed". But "No pasarán" outlived the defeat and became a promise passed from one generation of antifascists to the next.
No pasarán today
Today, "No pasarán" is used by antifascists across Europe and the Americas whenever the far right tries to march, organise or win power. It is shouted at counter-demonstrations, painted on banners and printed on t-shirts. Its meaning has stayed the same: ordinary people standing together to block hatred.
Related slogans
- Alerta, alerta, antifascista!: a chant heard at marches from Spain to Latin America.
- Siamo tutti antifascisti: "we are all antifascists", popular in Italy.
- Nazis raus: "Nazis out", common in Germany and Austria.
To learn more about the movement behind these words, read our short history of antifascism.
Wear the message
- Antifa Logo T-Shirt, the classic Antifascist Action flag
- Antifa Logo Hoodie for long nights on the street
- Antifa stickers to spread the message
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