Description “They shall not pass” (French: ‘Ils ne passeront pas/On ne passe pas’; Spanish: ‘¡No pasarán!’) is a slogan used to express determination to defend a position against an enemy. It was most famously used during the Battle of Verdun in World War I by French General Robert Nivelle. It appears on propaganda posters, such as that by Maurice Neumont after the Second Battle of the Marne, which was later adopted on uniform badges by units manning the Maginot Line. Later during the war, it also was used by Romanian soldiers during the Battle of Mărășești (the Romanian translation of the phrase is “Pe aici nu se trece“). It was also used during the Spanish Civil War, this time at the Siege of Madrid by Dolores Ibárruri Gómez, a member of the Communist Party of Spain, in her famous “No Pasarán” speech on 18 July 1936. The leader of the nationalist forces, Generalísimo Francisco Franco, upon gaining Madrid, responded to this slogan with “Hemos pasado” (“We have passed”). “¡No pasarán!” 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. ¡NO PASARÁN! Ahí van marchando los milicianos Van para el frente con gran valor. A dar sus vidas se van cantando Antes que triunfe Franco el traidor. En el espacio van los fascistas Bombas aéreas destrozarán La bella urbe capitalina Pero a Madrid . . . ¡NO PASARÁN! Matan mujeres. niños y ancianos Que por las calles suelen andar. Esta es la hazaña de los fascistas Que allá en la historia se ha de grabar Si sangre de héroes regó los campos Bellas simientes resurgirán El cañón ruje, tiembla la tierra Pero a Madrid . . . ¡NO PASARÁN! THEY SHALL NOT PASS! There march the militiamen With great valor to the front. They go singing to give their lives Lest Franco, the traitor. triumph. The fascists are in the skies Their aerial bombs may destroy Our beautiful capital city But to Madrid . . . They Shall Not Pass! They kill women, children, and the elderly Who are out and about on the streets This is the deed of the fascists Which will be inscribed in history. Where heroes’ blood watered the field Beautiful seedlings will flourish. The cannon roars, the earth trembles But to Madrid . . . They Shall Not Pass!
