MyMemeCards editorial team
In MyMemeCards, the meme card game, “Benalla akbar” is a common card of the Memes FR pack, number 729 of the collection, and the 602nd best-known meme of its 869 cards. Here is what the meme means, where it comes from, and how to get its card.
What does the “Benalla akbar” meme mean?
The device is a portmanteau: a proper noun replaces a word inside a phrase everybody recognises, and the collision does the work without any explanation. Like many French political edits, this one outlived its subject. People post it now to evoke a scandal grinding on, an aide who has become a liability, or simply as a marker of a political period that meme regulars identify from the first word. The card sums up that gap: the joke still lands while the case itself has long been closed.
Where does the “Benalla akbar” meme come from?
The affair goes back to 1 May 2018, at the Place de la Contrescarpe in Paris, at the end of a May Day demonstration. Alexandre Benalla, then an aide at the presidency of the Republic, was present alongside police officers and took part in the arrest of a couple. Le Monde identified him in the footage on 18 July 2018, and the Paris prosecutor opened a preliminary investigation the next day for violence, impersonating a police officer and using insignia reserved for public authorities. The case dominated French news for months and generated a great many edits. The one behind this card is a YouTube video from that period; its author is not identified and the exact timeline of its spread is undocumented.
- 2018-05-01A couple is arrested at the Place de la Contrescarpe in Paris on the fringes of a May Day demonstration.
- 2018-07-18Le Monde identifies Alexandre Benalla in footage of the scene.
- 2018-07-19The Paris prosecutor opens a preliminary investigation.
How to use the “Benalla akbar” meme
- Post it to evoke a political scandal that refuses to end.
- Use it as a knowing reference to French news in 2018.
- Quote it when an aide becomes more of a problem than the affair itself.
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- benalla affair 2018 facts
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The “Benalla akbar” card in MyMemeCards
| Number | No. 729 |
|---|---|
| Rarity | Common |
| Collection | Memes FR pack |
| Fame | 55/100 · #602 of 869 |
| Recycle value | 5 MemeCoins (15 in Shiny) |
| Suggested by | @nicktamere |
How to get the “Benalla akbar” card
Every pack holds 5 meme cards, the first 3 of them Common; Benalla akbar comes out of the Memes FR pack as a common card. The pack odds say what each rarity weighs.
Your first pack is free and needs no account. After that a new free pack lands every 10 minutes, up to 3 waiting for you. You can also buy the card with MemeCoins on the market, bid for it at auction, or trade it — and a double recycles into 5 MemeCoins.
Open your free pack
5 meme cards, one of them at least Rare. One free pack per person.
Free · no account needed
Odds per card, averaged over a pack: Common 72%, Rare 23.9%, Epic 3.2%, Legendary 0.56%, Mythic 0.3%, Full Art 0.8%, Shiny 0.2%. Cards 1 to 3 are always Common, cards 4 and 5 climb the rarities. Rates drop for cards that circulate a lot. Details
Memes like “Benalla akbar”
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Frequently asked questions
What does the phrase refer to?
To the name of Alexandre Benalla, the French presidential aide identified in footage from 1 May 2018 at the Place de la Contrescarpe, spliced into a very well known exclamation.
What happened on 1 May 2018?
A couple was arrested at the Place de la Contrescarpe in Paris during a May Day demonstration. Le Monde identified Benalla in the footage on 18 July, and a preliminary investigation for violence and impersonating a police officer opened the next day.
Why is the edit still around?
Because it rests on an instant pun that works without any knowledge of the case file. The phrase therefore outlasted the news story that produced it.
How do I get the Benalla akbar meme card?
Open a pack of MyMemeCards: “Benalla akbar” is a common card of the Memes FR pack. Your first pack is free, with no account, and you can also buy, trade or win the card at auction.
How rare is the Benalla akbar card?
It is a Common card. Rarity decides which pack slot can deal it, and what it is worth on the market.
Sources: Benalla affair — Wikipedia · Franceinfo — « Affaire Benalla : le couple de la Contrescarpe a été entendu par les juges d’instruction » · Vidéo YouTube retenue comme source de la carte · checked on October 5, 2026.
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