Why are French protesters chanting ‘Bismillah, c’est les ténèbres’?

EXPLAINERFor students, the slogan has come to represent a whole array of grievances that lie at the heart of the protest movement.As violent protests roil France, bringing together students demanding better educational conditions and groups rejecting the high cost of living, one chant has become an improbable rallying cry: “Bismillah, c’est les ténèbres”.The unofficial slogan does not mean much taken literally, but students have channelled a whole array of grievances that lie at the heart of the protest movement into this nonsensical expression. It is meant to mock racial stereotyping by the police.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Portugal cost-of-living protesters pour back into camps cleared by policelist 2 of 3Italy approves sweeping security measures in response to protestslist 3 of 3Ballon d’Or: Which countries and players have won the most awards?end of listHundreds of thousands of people took to the streets nationwide over the weekend, in the largest mobilisation since protests over education reforms and rising prices began last month. The protest movement has been triggered by grievances ranging from overcrowded classrooms and teacher shortages to systemic ineq...