Ash-shab yurid isqat an-nizam

Ash-shaʻb yurīd isqāṭ an-niẓām (Arabic: الشعب يريد إسقاط النظام, lit. 'the people want to bring down the regime', pronounced [æʃˈʃaʕb juˈriːd ʔɪsˈqɑːtˤ ænniˈðˤɑːm]) is a political slogan associated with the Arab Spring.^[1][2] The slogan first emerged during the Tunisian Revolution.^[3] The chant echoed at Avenue Habib Bourguiba in Tunis for weeks.^[2] The slogan also became used frequently during the 2011 Egyptian revolution.^[4][5][6][7] It was the most frequent slogan, both in graffiti and in chants in rallies, during the revolution in Egypt.^[8]

The chant was raised at the protests in Bahrain.^[7][9][10] Ash-shab yurid isqat an-nizam has been used frequently in protests across Yemen.^[11][12] The slogan was used in rallies across Libya at the beginning of the 2011 revolt.^[13] In March 2011, a group of youths under the age of 15 were arrested in Dera'a in southern Syria, after having sprayed ejak el door ya doctor graffiti, translating to "it is your turn doctor [referring to Al-Assad's regime]. Their arrests sparked the uprising in Syria.^[14][15] The slogan was also used frequently in Sudan throughout the protests.^[16]

In Jordan, a youth group named "24 March" used the slogan ash-shaʻb yurīd islah an-niẓām ("the people want to reform the system").^[17] However, the slogan later changed to ash-shab yurid isqat an-nizam in November 2012, when the government imposed a hike in the price of fuel.^[18]

In Lebanon, the slogan has been used in protests against that country's sectarian political system.^[19] In the Lebanese protests, an-nizam ("the regime") did not refer to the sectarian political order as such, but rather the government.^[20] In Palestine, a variation of the slogan, Ash-shaʻb yurīd inhāʼ al-inqisām (الشعب يريد إنهاء الانقسام, "the people want the division to end"), emerged in protests calling for the two main factions Fatah and Hamas to settle their differences.^[21] A parody of the slogan has been used by Bashar al-Assad's supporters in Syria as ash-shaʻb yurīd Bashār al-Asad (Arabic: الشعب يريد بشار الاسد, lit. 'the people want Bashar al-Assad').^[22] Another parody of the slogan has been used by King Hamad's loyalists in Bahrain as ash-shaʻb yurīd isqāṭ al-Wifāq (Arabic: الشعب يريد إسقاط الوفاق, lit. 'the people want to bring down Al-Wefaq'), referring to the main opposition party of Bahrain, Al-Wefaq.^[23]