Words of Resistance: The Story Behind Protest Slogans

The slogan emerged in the late 1990s in the wake of the founding of the Europe-wide No Border network and refers to the anti-nationalist attitude widespread among many anti-authoritarian leftists at the time. It calls for freedom of movement for all people regardless of their origin or nationality and an end to deportations. It criticises the nation state as not "natural" but as an artificially created form of rule. This privileges certain groups (e.g. white citizens) and oppresses others (e.g. black non-citizens).

This widely used protest slogan originated in the early 2000s in the English-speaking anti-racist movement. In Germany, the slogan became popular during the summer of migration in 2015. The summer of migration in 2015 was a historic and structural defeat for the EU border regime. In the wake of the revolutionary protest movements in Syria (and other countries in West Asia and North Africa), hundreds of thousands of people crossed the EU border and forced the EU border regime to adopt a policy of open borders. The summer of collective border crossings and solidarity was followed by a massive backlash. Since then, the EU border regime has been characterised by massive tightening of asylum laws, the expansion of physical and digital border security, an increase in border violence and the shifting of borders.

The slogan is directed against the criminalisation of civilian sea rescue in the Mediterranean. It points out that saving people in distress at sea is a moral and legal obligation under international maritime law. Anyone who sees people in distress at sea must help them – regardless of their origin, passport or intentions. However, countries such as Italy, Malta and Greece – with the tacit support of other EU states – have in recent years prosecuted civilian sea rescuers (e.g. Sea-Watch, SOS Méditerranée, Iuventa), detained or blocked their ships and accused them of "aiding illegal entry" or "smuggling". Instead of working to ensure safe escape routes, the EU, through its border protection agency Frontex, is pursuing a policy that aims to make fleeing across the Mediterranean dangerous, life-threatening and deterrent. This slogan is a call for solidarity with people fleeing their homes, for legal escape routes and an end to the EU's murderous policy of isolation.

The slogan comes from the French-speaking protest movement and translates as "Ohlala, Ohlélé – Solidarity with the undocumented!" It dates back to the 1990s and was coined by the sans-papiers movement, for example during their occupation of the Saint-Bernard church in Paris in 1996. "Sans-papiers" is a French term used to describe people who live in a country without legal residence status. They often live in precarious, lawless and exploited situations, have little access to work, education, healthcare or legal protection – and are constantly threatened with deportation. The slogan stands for solidarity with the weakest in the migration system and against a system that puts papers above human lives.

This is a powerful, political and angry slogan comes frome the anti-racist movement in Germany translates as „Oury Jallo, that was murder – resistance everywhere!“ It refers to the death of Oury Jalloh, a refugee from Sierra Leone who burned to death on 7 January 2005 in a police cell in Dessau (Saxony-Anhalt) under circumstances that remain unclear to this day. The statement "it was murder" contradicts the official version that Oury Jalloh allegedly set himself on fire, even though he was handcuffed and shackled, a lighter was allegedly "found" only later, numerous investigations and expert reports point to massive inconsistencies, and there are indications of a cover-up by the police and judiciary. The statement "it was murder" is a political accusation: not suicide – but deadly racist police violence and subsequent cover-up. The slogan is an expression of anger at institutional racism, impunity and lack of clarification – even 20 years later. It is mainly supported by the "Initiative in Memory of Oury Jalloh", relatives, activists and anti-racist groups. It stands not only for this specific case, but for many other deaths in state custody with a racist background – e.g. Amed Ahmad, Achidi John, N'deye Mareame Sarr.