
When the Nazis came for the communists, I remained silent;
I was not a communist.
When they locked up the social democrats,
I remained silent; I was not a social democrat.
When they came for the trade unionists,
I did not speak out; I was not a trade unionist.
When they came for the Jews,
I remained silent; I wasn't a Jew.
When they came for me,
there was no one left to speak out.
(Martin Niemöller, 1946)
3 comments:
Profound and true.
I've recently been watching some documentaries about Nazi collaborators and it is sad viewing... the sheer amount of people who toed the line for expediency or temporary political advantage. Worse still is how easy it appears to be to manipulate people. Lessons for us all alas.
Eh, so sad and true...
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