First they came...

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

Contents 1 History 2 Controversy over origin and text 3 Poem (1976 version) 4 Variations 4.1 Variation of first stanza 4.2 Variation of last stanza 4.3 New England Holocaust Memorial 4.4 Time 4.5 Posters 4.6 Hackers 5 Influence 6 References 7 External links

[edit] History

An early supporter of Hitler, by 1934 Niemöller had come to oppose the Nazis, and it was largely his high connections to influential and wealthy businessmen that saved him until 1937, after which he was imprisoned, eventually at Sachsenhausen and Dachau concentration camps. He survived to be a leading voice of penance and reconciliation for the German people after World War II. His poem is well-known, frequently quoted, and is a popular model for describing the dangers of political apathy, as it often begins with specific and targeted fear and hatred which soon escalates out of control.

[edit] Controversy over origin and text

In Spanish-speaking countries the poem has been often erroneously attributed to Bertolt Brecht since the 1970s. The poem's exact origin is unclear, and at least one historian has suggested that the poem arose after Niemöller's death.^[1] This is incorrect, as the poem was widely circulated by social activists in the United States at least as early as the late 1960's to urge support for civil rights and opposition to the Vietnam War. More recent research has traced the sentiments expressed in the poem to speeches given by Niemöller in 1946.^[2] Nonetheless, the poem's wording remains controversial, both in terms of its provenance, and the substance and order of the organisations which are mentioned in its text.

[edit] Poem (1976 version)

Original	Translation
Als die Nazis die Kommunisten holten, habe ich geschwiegen; ich war ja kein Kommunist. Als sie die Sozialdemokraten einsperrten, habe ich geschwiegen; ich war ja kein Sozialdemokrat. Als sie die Gewerkschafter holten, habe ich nicht protestiert; ich war ja kein Gewerkschafter. Als sie mich holten, gab es keinen mehr, der protestieren konnte.	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 me, there was no one left to speak out.

[edit] Variations

[edit] Variation of first stanza

Ironically, when the poem was recounted in the United States in the 1950s, the first stanza, referring to communists, was often omitted, due to the rise of McCarthyism and the Red Scare.

[edit] Variation of last stanza

A well-known variant of this poem has the last stanza as "then they came for the Catholics."

[edit] New England Holocaust Memorial

The version inscribed at the New England Holocaust Memorial in Boston, Massachusetts reads:

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.

[edit] Time

Another variant was printed in Time magazine on August 28, 1989, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the start of World War II. This version read:

First they came 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 Catholics, and I didn’t speak up,

because I was a Protestant.

Then they came for me, and by that time there was no one left

to speak up for me.

[edit] Posters

The variant found on most English and American posters reads:

First they came for the Socialists, and I didn’t speak up,

because I wasn’t a Socialist.

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 Jews, and I didn’t speak up,

because I wasn't a Jew.

Then they came for me, and there was no one left

to speak up for me.

[edit] Hackers

First they came for the hackers.
But I never did anything illegal with my computer,
so I didn’t speak up.

Then they came for the pornographers.
But I thought there was too much smut on the Internet anyway,
so I didn’t speak up.

Then they came for the anonymous remailers.
But a lot of nasty stuff gets sent from anon.penet.fi,
so I didn’t speak up.

Then they came for the encryption users.
But I could never figure out how to work PGP anyway,
so I didn’t speak up.

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

– Alara Rogers (http://www.fitug.de/archiv/satire/first.html)

[edit] Influence

The poem influenced the song "Yellow Triangle" by folk singer Christy Moore.

In 1991 the Scottish musical duo Hue and Cry paraphrased the poem in a song recorded at Cirque Royale, Brussels. The relevant portion of the song was:

When they came for the Jews and the blacks, I turned away

When they came for the writers and the thinkers and the radicals and the protestors, I turned away

When they came for the gays, and the minorities, and the utopians, and the dancers, I turned away

And when they came for me, I turned around and around, and there was nobody left...

It also infuenced the song "Emigre" by Anti-Flag. The song, recorded on the album "For Blood and Empire" relates to "First they came…" in the first stanza:

First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out

Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out

Next they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out

And then they came for me!

"Re-gaining Unconsciousness" by punk band NOFX also appears to have been influenced by the poem;

First they put away the dealers,

keep our kids safe and off the streets.

Then they put away the prostitutes,

keep married men cloistered at home.

Then they shooed away the bums,

then they beat and bashed the queers,

turned away asylum-seekers,

fed us suspicions and fears.

We didn't raise our voice,

we didn't make a fuss.

It's funny there was no one left to notice

when they came for us.

As has "Madame Guillotine" by the Legendary Pink Dots:

First they rounded up the reds

But I'm not red so…

Then they rounded up the blacks

But I'm not black so…

Then they rounded up the gypsies

And the junkies and the donkeys.

Now I'm scared to whistle 'swanee'

'Cause they'll ask me for my spit…

The poem also appears to have influenced a more recent poem, by Niyi Osundare, a Nigerian who was vocal in his criticism of the Nigerian government in the 1990s. The poem 'Not my business' lists the people 'they' come for, by name, and shows the poet turning away. It is no business of his 'so long as they don't take the yam' from his hand. Finally they come for him, and there is silence.

In the X-Factor Investigations comic series, the mutant Quicksilver quotes the poem in reference to the Superhero Registration Act.

Charles Mingus uses a version of the poem on his song "Don't Let It Happen Here," on the album "Music Written for Monterey, 1965 Not Heard...Played Live in Its Entirety at UCLA," which after a small release was out of print for many years until re-released on September 26, 2006. He changes and expands the ending:

One day they came and they took the Communists

And I said nothing because I was not a Communist

Then one day they came and they took the people of the Jewish faith

And I said nothing because I had no faith left

One day they came and they took the unionists

And I said nothing because I was not a unionist

One day they burned the Catholic churches

And I said nothing because I was born a Protestant

Then one day they came and they took me

And I could say nothing because I was as guilty as they were

For not speaking out and saying that all men have a right to freedom

On any land

I was as guilty of genocide

As you

All of you

For you know when a man is free

And when to set him free from his slavery

So I charge you all with genocide

The same as I

One of the 18 million dead Jews

18 million dead people

Asian Dub Foundation paraphrased the poem in the song "Round Up" on the album "Tank" (2005). Excerpt from the lyrics is:

dem come for de rasta and you say nothing

dem come from the muslims you say nothing

dem come for the anti-globalist you ay nothing

dem even come for the liberals and you say nothing

dem come for you and will speak for you? who will speak for you, who ?

[edit] References

1. ^ Martin Niemöller. Spartus Educational. Retrieved on 2006-02-16.
2. ^ Harold Marcuse (September 12, 2000). Martin Niemöller. Retrieved on 2006-02-16.

[edit] External links

• Niemöller, origin of famous quotation Harold Marcuse, UC Santa Barbara (2005)
• Niemöller's famous quotation as posted by Holocaust Survivors' Network