Anti-Imperialism, War and Peace, Part 8b
First They Came for the Communists
First they came for the Communists, but
I was not a Communist, so I said nothing.
Then they came for the Social Democrats,
but I was not a Social Democrat, so I did nothing.
Then came the trade unionists, but I was
not a trade unionist.
And then they came for the Jews, but I
was not a Jew, so I did little.
Then when they came for me, there was no
one left to stand up for me.
Pastor Niemöller
The third attached and linked
document in this part opens up the double question of who backs the communists,
and if the communists are not backed, then what happens to the others?
This is the question of
self-defence for the political movement, the importance of the communists, and
of the non-communists.
Pastor Niemöller’s story is
extraordinary, and unexpected. This German anti-Nazi Pastor survived Dachau.
For revolutionaries it is
very moving to record the solidarity of people such as Pastor Niemöller.
The revolutionaries must
trust the people. They have no choice.
·
The above is to
introduce the original reading-text: First They Came For The
Communists, Niemoeller.
