Frasi di Martin Niemöller

una delle versioni in tedesco

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. (citato nel monumento all'Olocausto del New England a Boston, Massachusetts)
:Vennero per i comunisti | e io non parlai perché non ero un comunista. || Quindi vennero per gli Ebrei, | e io non parlai perché non ero un Ebreo. || Quindi vennero per i sindacalisti | e io non parlai perché non ero un sindacalista. || Quindi vennero per i cattolici, | ed io non parlai perché ero un protestante. || Quindi vennero per me | e a quel punto non rimaneva nessuno che potesse alzare la voce.
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. (citato nel Time, 28 agosto 1989)
:Prima vennero per i comunisti, e non alzai la voce, | perché non ero un comunista. || Quindi vennero per gli Ebrei, e non alzai la voce, | perché non ero un Ebreo. || Quindi vennero per i cattolici, e non alzai la voce, | perché ero un protestante || Quindi vennero per me, e a quel punto non vi era rimasto più nessuno | che potesse alzare la voce per me.
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. (la variante che si trova nella maggior parte dei manifesti e poster in lingua inglese)
:Prima vennero per i socialisti, e io non alzai la voce | perché non ero un socialista. || Quindi vennero per i sindacalisti, e io non alzai la voce | perché non ero un sindacalista || Quindi vennero per gli ebrei, e io non alzai la voce | perché non ero un ebreo. || Quindi vennero per me, e non vi era rimasto più nessuno | che potesse alzare la voce per me.
Prima vennero

As quoted in Martin Niemöller, 1892-1984 (1984) by James Bentley, p. 223

Statement on behalf of the Confessional Church, signed by nine other pastors, as quoted in TIME magazine (27 July 1936) http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,847755,00.html
Contesto: Our people are trying to break the bond set by God. That is human conceit rising against God. In this connection we must warn the Führer, that the adoration frequently bestowed on him is only due to God. Some years ago the Führer objected to having his picture placed on Protestant altars. Today his thoughts are used as a basis not only for political decisions but also for morality and law. He himself is surrounded with the dignity of a priest and even of an intermediary between God and man... We ask that liberty be given to our people to go their way in the future under the sign of the Cross of Christ, in order that our grandsons may not curse their elders on the ground that their elders left them a state on earth that closed to them the Kingdom of God.

Replying to questions on the atrocities of the concentration camps, at a press conference in Naples, Italy, and confirming that he actually had written a widely publicized letter from such a camp, early in the war, to be permitted to serve in the military (5 June 1945)

Statement on his admiration of the Eastern Orthodox traditions (1982), as quoted in Martin Niemöller, 1892-1984 (1984) by James Bentley, p. 207

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 die Juden holten,
habe ich geschwiegen;
ich war ja kein Jude.

Als sie mich holten,
gab es keinen mehr,
der protestieren konnte.
"First they came..." – The origins of this poem first have been traced to a speech given by Niemöller on January 6, 1946, to the representatives of the Confessing Church in Frankfurt. According to research http://www.history.ucsb.edu/faculty/marcuse/niem.htm by Harold Marcuse, the original groups mentioned in the speech were Communists, the incurably sick, Jews, and people in occupied countries. Since then, the contents have often been altered to produce numerous variants. Niemöller himself came up with different versions, depending on the year. The most famous and well known alterations are perhaps those beginning "First they came for the Jews" of which this is one of the more commonly encountered:
First they came for the Jews
and I did not speak out
because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for the Communists
and I did not speak out
because I was not a Communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists
and I did not speak out
because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for me
and there was no one left
to speak out for me.
Another variant extends the comparisons to incude Catholics and Protestants:
In Germany they first 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 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.
Other translations or variants:
In Germany, they came first for the Communists, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist;
And then they came for the trade unionists, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist;
And then they came for the Jews, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew;
And then . . . they came for me . . . And by that time there was no one left to speak up.
Twenty-five years later Niemöller indicated that this was the version he preferred, in a 1971 interview.
When the Nazis came for the communists,
I did not speak out;
As I was not a communist. <p> When they locked up the social democrats,
I did not speak out;
I was not a social democrat. <p> When they came for the trade unionists,
I did not speak out;
As I was not a trade unionist. <p> When they came for the Jews,
I did not speak out;
As I was not a Jew. <p> When they came for me,
there was no one left to speak out.
When the Nazis arrested the Communists,
I said nothing; after all, I was not a Communist.
When they locked up the Social Democrats,
I said nothing; after all, I was not a Social Democrat.
When they arrested the trade unionists,
I said nothing; after all, I was not a trade unionist.
When they arrested me, there was no longer anyone who could protest.
First the Nazis came…
First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out —
because I was not a communist;
Then 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 out for me.
Online source for German quote: Martin Niemöller Stiftung, 22.09.2005, Wiesbaden http://www.martin-niemoeller-stiftung.de/4/daszitat/a31

On his movement toward pacifism and becoming an activist against nuclear weaponry, as quoted in Martin Niemöller, 1892-1984 (1984) by James Bentley, p. 213

Sermons in Erlangen, Marburg, Göttingen and Frankfurt (January 1946), as quoted in Martin Niemöller, 1892-1984 (1984) by James Bentley, p. 177

Statement for a Japanese publication (February 1954), as quoted in Martin Niemöller, 1892-1984 (1984) by James Bentley, p. 214

On Ho Chi Minh. as quoted in Martin Niemöller, 1892-1984 (1984) by James Bentley, p. 225

Last sermon before being imprisoned by the Nazi regime of Germany (27 June 1937), as quoted in Religion in the Reich (1939) by Michael Power, p. 142

As quoted in Martin Niemöller, 1892-1984 (1984) by James Bentley, p. 223

Letter to a Dr. Weiner (1956), as quoted in Martin Niemöller, 1892-1984 (1984) by James Bentley, p. 334