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Tuesday 26 February 2008

"First they came..."

Thanks to mk.am who reminded me this famous poem attributed to Martin Niemoeller. There are various versions of the poem, one of which is inscribed on a stone in New England Holocaust Memorial (photo below via Wikipedia). Essentially, they are very similar and very current.

They came first for the Communists,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist.

Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew.

Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Catholics,
and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant.

Then they came for me,
and by that time no one was left to speak up.

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