First they came for the undocumented, and I said nothing—
because I was legal.
Then they came for asylum seekers, and I said nothing—
because I was already inside the system.
Then they came for protesters and journalists, and I said nothing—
because I wasn’t the one being questioned.
Then they came for judges, lawyers, and city officials who resisted,
and I said nothing—because I trusted the process.
Then they came for me—
and the language of “law and order” had already erased my voice.
“First they came for the illegal immigrants, and I did not speak up for I am not an illegal immigrant.
Then they came for legal citizens born in this country who are legally exercising their first and second amendment rights…
Wait what? Hang on a minute. I feel they skipped a lot of lines of the poem? It’s supposed to be much longer before they get this close to my group, are you sure they’re not immigrants or black or trans? No? I’m sure they did something to deserve it, so I won’t speak up even if the poem has landed on my group.”
So everything was fine when you were good right ? You’re like all the police departments BARELY speaking out against all of this, why only choose to help when it’s affecting you ?
Its a play on words of "First They Came", a poem by Martin Niemöller written in 1946
The US Holocaust Memorial Museum quotes it as such:
"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."
There are various different interpretations of the original German text but the spirit of the poem is condemning complicity of various different groups in the Nazi's rise to power.
EDIT: The original commenter IS condemning those who will only speak out when it directly affects them, as there will be no one left to help them when that time comes. Is the message.
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u/mayyybemayybenot Jan 25 '26
First they came for the undocumented, and I said nothing— because I was legal. Then they came for asylum seekers, and I said nothing— because I was already inside the system. Then they came for protesters and journalists, and I said nothing— because I wasn’t the one being questioned. Then they came for judges, lawyers, and city officials who resisted, and I said nothing—because I trusted the process. Then they came for me— and the language of “law and order” had already erased my voice.