This image emerged from the fertile grounds of the Atelier Populaire, a workshop formed amidst the upheaval of the May 1968 protests in Paris. Crafted with an urgent energy, it embodies the ethos of the movement—an alliance between students, workers, and marginalised groups against the French government’s perceived failures. In this particular image, written in multiple languages, a resolute call is made to Jews and Arabs, urging them to unite against tactics of misinformation and subversion allegedly carried out by the government-backed CRS (riot police) and Harkis. Situated within the context of rising social unrest, the text implores individuals to join their local action committees to resist systems of oppression and build solidarity against racist manoeuvres.
The Atelier Populaire’s work, including this evocative piece, played a pivotal role in the Mai 68 movement, reflecting the revolutionary zeal of those tumultuous weeks. Their politically-charged prints rejected any form of hierarchy in art, focusing solely on empowering a direct and communal voice for social justice. Harsh and confrontational yet deeply humanistic, this piece stands as a fragment of a moment in history when art and resistance were inseparably intertwined.