First they came . . . .

By JW Ross

First they came for the guns of the Jews, and I did not speak out --
Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for the guns of the Catholics, and I did not speak out --
Because I was not a Catholic.

Then they came for the guns of the Protestants, and I did not speak out --
Because I was not a Protestant.

Then they came for my guns -- and there was no one left to speak for me.


Paraphrased from a poem written by Martin Niemöller, a prominent Protestant German pastor. Although an ardent nationalist he emerged as an outspoken public foe of Adolf Hitler and spent the last 7 years of Nazi rule in concentration camps.

Niemöller's original poem:


First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out --
Because I was not a Socialist.


Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out --
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.


Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out --
Because I was not a Jew.


Then they came for me -- and there was no one left to speak for me.