They shall not pass (Fr. "Ils ne passeront pas"), (Sp. "¡NO PASARAN!") is a
propaganda 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 General
Henri Philippe Petain, and was used again in the
defense of Madrid[?] during the
Spanish Civil War by
Dolores Ibarruri[?] ("La Pasionaria"), Communist orator.
The phrase has been used as recently as December 2002 by Colonel Emmanual Maurin, commanding a French Foreign Legion unit in Côte d'Ivoire.