This striking image, “Flins Pas Flics” (Flins, Not Cops), originates from the tumultuous period of the Paris May 1968 demonstrations. A product of the Atelier Populaire, a collective of artists and students who converted the École des Beaux-Arts into a print workshop, the image serves as a bold commentary on the violent clashes between police and striking workers at the Flins Renault factory in June 1968. Its simple, direct typography and message encapsulate the collective anger and defiance that defined this revolutionary moment in French history.
The Atelier Populaire created works like this to be distributed widely, providing a graphic voice to the protests and amplifying the concerns of various movements. Acting as ephemeral tools of revolution, these prints were rarely preserved, intensifying the resonance of those that survive. “Flins Pas Flics” embodies the social tensions of industrial conflict and state authority, and it reflects the Atelier’s commitment to visually representing the ideals of justice and solidarity in the face of oppression.