Poem: "First They Came....."

This is a poem that I remember reading in my
younger days, and it impacted me so much, that
I have always remembered it, and been mindfull
of its meaning. May this poem always remain in
the back of your mind, always remembering that
it can happen to you!


First they came…" is a poem attributed to Pastor
Martin Niemoller (1892–1984) about the inactivity
of German intellectuals following the Nazi rise to
power and the purging of their chosen targets,
group after group.



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.