#martin niemöller who?

[hussyknee]

[nudityandnerdery]

Hey. Hey. Look at me. Eyes here, I need to tell you something important.

Anyone who tries to sell you on that "LGB without the T" bullshit is a fucking sell-out who wants to sacrifice a marginalized community to beg for scraps of approval from bigots who hate anyone who isn't straight only slightly less than they hate anyone who isn't cis. Anyone who tries to sell you on it is pretending that conservatives won't just shift targets to target the gay community after they've destroyed enough trans people.

Martin Niemöller did not write "First They Came..." just for fascists to pull the exact same "one community at a time" bullshit decades later.

Support and protect trans people. Community and solidarity is necessary. Anyone trying to convince you abandon another marginalized group, especially anyone who tries to turn you against that group, is a tool of bigots.

[girlactionfigure]

Antisemitism, an old saying goes, is the canary in the coal mine. The implication is that, when antisemitism is rising in a society, this is a telltale sign that said society is in decline. In many cases throughout history, this has very much been true. For example, the Nazis rose to power -- and later led their country into a suicidal war -- by mobilizing German society with inflammatory antisemitic rhetoric.

Nevertheless, I’ve always really hated the expression, not because it’s necessarily untrue, but because of the implication that what really makes antisemitism matter is that Jew-hatred eventually poisons everything and everyone else. I think antisemitism matters because Jews are human beings, and that should be enough for us to act decisively against it, not because antisemitism might, in the future, affect other groups of people.

Regardless, I do think that it’s important for people to understand why and how antisemitism eventually might affect them too.

ANTISEMITISM AS A SIGN OF SOCIETAL DECLINE

Which came first: the chicken or the egg? In other words, do societies decline because of antisemitism, or does antisemitism rise because societies are in decline? In my opinion, it’s a little bit of both.

First, it’s important to understand how antisemitism functions. Antisemitism is not only a bigotry, but a worldview that relies on conspiracies, scapegoating, and projection. When things are bad -- for instance, when a society is in disarray -- people need someone to blame. When a child went missing in the Middle Ages, who was at fault? Why, the Jews, of course. When as much as 30 to 60% of the European population died from the Black Death in the 14th century, who was to blame? The Jews. When Weimar Germany suffered from economic hardships, who else could be at fault but the Jews?

I personally noticed this phenomenon in real-time in 2020, following the murder of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter protests. Instead of holding American police to account for their police brutality, very quickly, antisemites swept in with the “Deadly Exchange” conspiracy theory, which absurdly posits that it’s the Jewish state that is at fault for police brutality in the United States (as though American police brutality didn’t exist before 1948!). In this sense, it’s obvious that antisemitism rises when societies are in strife.

On the other hand, pre-existing antisemitism will poison everything in a society. White supremacists and Islamic fundamentalist terrorist groups, for example, often recruit followers with antisemitic rhetoric, but their violence targets more than just Jews. It doesn’t take long for hostile antisemitic environments to become hostile to many other groups of people.

"FIRST THEY CAME FOR THE..."

Surely you’ve heard the famous Martin Niemöller 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.”

It is, perhaps, the quotation most often associated with the Holocaust and the Nazi persecution of Jews and political dissidents. And while Pastor Niemöller certainly had a point, the question bears repeating: why must others be targeted alongside Jews for antisemitism to matter? Shouldn’t antisemitism matter simply because Jews are human beings deserving of fundamental human rights and dignity?

As it turns out, Niemöller never quite got the memo. In the early 1930s, he not only openly agreed with Nazi ideology, but he voted the Nazis into power. His change of heart came not because he atoned for his antisemitism, but because he disliked how the Nazi Party was meddling with the Lutheran Church, which led to his eventual arrest. Even worse: after the Allied victory, he opposed the de-Nazification of Germany because he thought that it would “do more harm than good.”

In the end, it seems, for Niemöller, antisemitism only mattered when it affected him personally.

"FIRST THE SATURDAY PEOPLE, THEN THE SUNDAY PEOPLE"

The proverb “min sallaf es-sabt lāqā el-ḥadd qiddāmūh” — “after Saturday comes Sunday”— is used in many Middle Eastern countries, including Egypt, Syria, and Lebanon, to describe the treatment of Middle Eastern Jews and Christians. A popular variation is “first the Saturday people [Jews, who observe Shabbat on Saturday], then the Sunday people [Christians, who attend church on Sundays.” The idea is that what has been done to the Jews of the Middle East is now what is being done to Middle Eastern Christians.

The origins of the phrase, with this particular meaning, are contested, but some historians trace it back to the 1936-1939 Arab Revolt in Palestine and claim that it was coined by the followers of the Nazi collaborator Palestinian leader Haj Amin Al-Husseini. The phrase has also been attributed to the pro-Zionist Maronite Christians in Lebanon in the 1930s and 1940s. After the British authorities passed the 1939 White Paper, which virtually banned all Jewish immigration to and land purchases in Palestine, some Palestinian Arab Christians reportedly worried that they would be marginalized next.

In the 1940s and 1950s, virtually 100% of the Jewish population of the Middle East — which once numbered at around a million — was expelled from their homes in a series of systematic expulsions and massacres. ��

Unfortunately, much as the proverb predicts, Middle Eastern Christians have suffered a similar fate. In 1900, Christians made up about 13% of the population of the Middle East. Today, Christians form only 4% of the Middle Eastern population.

Assyrian, Maronite, Coptic, and other Native Middle Eastern Christians have been driven out of their homes by Islamic fundamentalist violence, a recent example being the massacres and executions perpetrated by ISIS.

JIHADIST GROUPS

Like white supremacist groups, Islamist jihadist groups such as ISIS have historically used antisemitic rhetoric as a “gateway drug” for recruitment. For example, Damon Joseph, also known as Abdullah Ali Yusuf, was indicted by a federal court in late 2018 for providing material support to ISIS. After an investigation, it seems that Joseph had been radicalized within a matter of months, following his conversion to Islam. Joseph, however, had espoused antisemitic beliefs for years, and it seems that his pre-existing antisemitic worldview influenced his fundamentalist interpretation of Islam.

According to former CIA agent John Kiriakou, after the CIA captured Abu Zubaydah, who at the time was believed to be the number three in Al Qaeda, Abu Zubaydah said that he never hated America and only wanted to kill Jews and attack Israel.  

Similarly, in his 2002 “Letter to the American People,” in which he “explained” the 9/11 attacks, Al Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden justified his terrorist acts on the basis that the United States is allied with Israel and Jews allegedly “control” the American government.

Since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas War, Jihadist groups have recruited lone wolf attackers in third countries by inciting against Israel.  

Hezbollah, which was formed to fight Israel’s existence, has now taken the lives of Syrians, Lebanese, Iranians, and much more.  

Antisemitism is closely linked to Islamist terrorism, even terrorism that doesn’t specifically target Jews, and it should be considered an international security threat.

WHITE SUPREMACY

Antisemitism is foundational to white supremacy, but it is not exclusive to white supremacy. White supremacy does not exist without antisemitism, but white supremacists don’t exclusively target Jews, and non-white supremacist ideologies can be antisemitic, too. In other words, all white supremacists are antisemitic, but not all antisemites are white supremacists, and white supremacists are bigoted toward many other groups of people, too.

Antisemitism plays a very specific function within white supremacy. White supremacists rely on antisemitism to (1) scapegoat, and (2) divide and conquer. For example, white supremacists believe that Jews are behind a supposed “white genocide,” aiming to replace white folks with Brown and Black folks. In other words, what starts with Jews doesn’t just end with Jews.

White supremacist groups often recruit online with antisemitic rhetoric, and many violent white supremacists were radicalized by consuming antisemitic content.

In the 1920s, the resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan is tied directly to the 1913 lynching of Leo Frank, a Jewish American. The KKK then went on to terrorize Black Americans.

DOMESTIC TERRORISM, MASS SHOOTINGS

Many domestic terrorists and mass shooters have been radicalized through antisemitic rhetoric, even if their violence eventually targeted other people. Some examples include Nikolas Cruz, who murdered 17 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School students and employees in 2018, and the perpetrators of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, which killed 168 people.

rootsmetals

you shouldn’t wait until antisemitism affects you personally to care, but antisemitism *will* affect you personally eventually, whether you’re Jewish or not.

For a full bibliography of my sources, please head over to my Instagram and  Patreon. 

[crystalsandbubbletea]

If I were the US president, I would have ended ties with Israel long ago.

Israel has stated multiple times that they don't care about the civilians in Palestine, hell they don't care who gets hurt in general. All Israel wants is genocide, anyone who supports Israel wants genocide, and anyone who goes like "Well it's complicated" or remains silent is genocide complicit.

Silence.

Is.

Violence.

There's a poem, it's called "First they came for" and it's by Martin Niemöller, it shows that silence does nothing, and in the end, there will be no one to help you because you were silent.

I wanted to do a modern retelling of it, here it is (Note: This is from the perspective of someone who is silent on politics):

First they came for the socialists—and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist.

Then they came for black people—and I did not speak out—because I was not black.

Then they came for the disabled—and I did not speak out—because I was not disabled.

Then they came for trans people—and I did not speak out—because I was not trans.

Then they came for gay people—and I did not speak out—because I was not gay.

Then they came for unionists—and I did not speak out—because I was not a unionist.

Then they came for Palestinians—and I did not speak out—because I was not Palestinian.

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

[paran0rmalphen0mena]

It’s always so upsetting to see communities like this dissolve because of infighting. We don’t need more niche blankqueer labels. We dont need more contact stance arguments. Stop engaging with Antis, we will get nowhere if all we do it act how they expect us to. Ignore those asks, block the known spam accounts and move on. (+ The more you all get used to blocking the less you’ll get termed)

I know it sucks I get that, but you have to be careful when it comes to fighting for your rights. We are already demonized, and because of that you’ll get nowhere by force because to the general public we’re scary and although that might be what some of you want, you have to take into consideration that it just stigmatizes us, as a community, more. This is all coming from an Ex-Anti and current RQ who’s often excluded from the community even now, it is imperative that we focus on improving the whole, not fighting amongst ourselves. All you’re doing is driving out the same people who were fighting alongside you.

I’m not saying you need to censor yourself per se, just that you have to be careful, when you’re the outcasts anything and everything you say will be used against you. We don’t have the same leeway antis do.

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

-Martin Niemöller

Divide and conquer has been a successful tactic for longer then any of us have been alive, it will happen to the Radqueer community all the same if we continue this way.

It doesn’t mean you have to be best friends, it means you have to be comrades. You don’t have to like the man next to you to recognize that he isn’t your enemy.

[blastingfurnace]

Ive been thinking about a quote I learned from my German language teacher…

“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 it was not a Jew…

Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak out for me.”

First they came by pastor Martin Niemöller

I want everyone to remember this, and to think about this.

They’re going for woman’s rights, LGBTQIA+ rights, and much much much more.

Please give money towards Ukraine, Palestine, the Trevor project, and many more places who will need your help, even if you have as low as $5 , please repost, speak out about this, post on social media what you see and hear

[strawberryamanita]

At this point, if you're saying not to vote for Biden, I'm just writing you off as a Trump supporter. There's just no room left for semantics. Either you learn from 2016's shitshow of joke write-ins and overconfidence and allocate your votes accordingly, or you wear your Trumper title with pride.

You motherfuckers are equating Biden's verbal slip-ups to irredeemable crimes against the nation. Meanwhile, the Republican party is linking arms in the way they always do, but in preparation to wipe out literally every single one of us. If you're still reading this post, they're out to get you. There's no room for rewrites for the Martin Niemöller poem; nobody will be able to speak for us because we'll all be caught. These fuckers are fueled by hatred of the other. I don't completely trust that my own mom won't surrender me to the new Gestapo, at this point.

Between relative incoherence and completely articulate agendas to wipe out entire groups of people? Yeah, I don't know about you lot, but I'll learn to stomach a bit of extra senility.

I've said it in tags on reblogs, but I need to say it on an original post: we will not have the means to defend Palestine if we're all trying to save our own lives at the same time. If you care about yourself, if you care about your friends and family, if you care about anyone who wouldn't survive another term of Trump, the onus is on you to bar him from winning; this is not a means of guilting anyone, this is as close to fact as I can get in this shitbag world where reality is framed as subjective.

And unless any of you big-shit-talking riot-pushers wanna put your money where your mouth is and snipe the bitch, that means you need to vote for Biden.

Please.

[cardassianexpats]

Quote on the Holocaust Memorial in Boston:

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.

Martin Niemöller (1892-1984), Lutheran minister and early Nazi supporter who was later imprisoned for opposing Hitler's regime.

[odinsblog]

Party of “family values” and “small government” my Black ass.

Cases of child molestation are about to go way wayy up in Kansas.

Republicans are the real groomers, and Istg any TERFs who are supporting this kind of bullshit need to re-read Martin Niemöller.

[benreyfaggot]

I apologize for posting this as it’s not usual for me to post something about political topics, usually I just reblog other’s posts, but I would like to give my two cents for all of my not straight/not cis/not white followers. I remember a quote from Martin Niemöller speaking of the Holocaust,

“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.”

I beg of thee, anyone who is a part of any minority group that is reading this, remember this. Palestinians are being murdered today and allowing their deaths is paving a road to yours. Speak out against this genocide, stand with Palestinians and stop Israel in anyway that you can. I know it may seem like your voice will be drowned out amongst others but one voice can have such an affect. No matter you amount of followers, no matter how many posts you have, no matter what you post, speak out against Israel’s war crimes and the Genocide being committed upon Palestinians.

[girlactionfigure]

Young Friedrich was born in the German Empire on January 14, 1892. His father was a Lutheran pastor, and he grew up in a very conservative home. He would grow up to become an officer of the Imperial Navy, then returned to his roots, becoming a Lutheran pastor.

As a national conservative, he would support the accession to power of a man he believed would make his country great. He would say nothing as the man he supported began persecuting various targets within their country, group after group. He didn't agree with all his policies, but he continued to support the leader for what he believed was for the greater good of the country.

The list of groups began to increase and expand, from Communists to the incurably ill, to Jews and Jehovah's Witnesses, then foreigners, followed by schools and the press.

When the list of groups expanded to German Protestant churches, he finally started speaking out. But, it was too late. He would be arrested along with other pastors and people who opposed the policies of the leader of the country - Adolf Hitler.

The pastor's full name was Friedrich Gustav Emil Martin Niemöller.

Martin Niemöller, as he would be more commonly known, spent time imprisoned in concentration camps, where he would express his regret for not speaking out before and helping out the first victims of the Nazis.

When the Western Allies advanced, Niemöller was scheduled to be killed, along with other high-ranking prisoners who opposed Hitler. Fortunately, regular German troops would halt the execution just as the U.S. Seventh Army reached them.

Niemöller would abandon his former nationalistic beliefs and help initiate the Stuttgart Declaration of Guilt, becoming a vocal pacifist and anti-war activist.

He would write:

"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."

The poem would become a rallying cry against fascism, repeated many times in different versions by Niemöller and others. Some versions exchanged "Socialists" with "Communists." Niemöller has also been denounced because of his earlier antisemitic views and his initial support of Hitler.

He would say, "I am paying for that mistake now; and not me alone, but thousands of other persons like me."

The Jon S. Randal Peace Page  

[chicago-geniza]

Did you know the Wehrmacht guy who released my enemy Martin Niemöller from a concentration camp and claimed he did so from the deep conviction of his Christian faith wrote a letter to Stefania in April 1933 imploring her to endorse Göring's statement and inform the Polish people that German Jews were not in any danger

She published the letter and her reply telling him to go fuck himself in the newspaper

[barbiegirldream]

It occurred to me that people have probably seen this quote but maybe not the context behind this. This was written post-war by a Nazi German Christian priest, Martin Niemöller. He supported Hitler and his rise to fascist power through his contempt for others not like him. Through his indifference about the violence he knew them to be facing. He places the blame of those who died onto not just himself but the German people as a whole who stood by and quietly cheered.

This quote is about the violence of silence in the face of Genocide.

There is a genocide in Palestine. There is a genocide in the Congo. There is a genocide in Sudan. There is a genocide in China. More I am likely devastatingly forgetting right now. And the news wants you to stay silent. If you want to stay silent you're right that no one can Make you speak. But just remember who you stand in silence beside

[severeprincesheep]

I watched this FAFO video where a youtuber pointed out that, once again, it was relevant to bring this back, a famous poem by German Lutheran pastor Martin Niemöller (1892–1984), written during the Holocaust, denouncing the fact that when good people stay silent bad guys win:

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

Ironically Mr. priest over here was put in a concentration camp not for risking his life to save any innocents or anything, but because he was disappointed that Hitler kept church and state separate and his government secular... the Third Reich just wasn't quite patriarchal or fascistic enough to his liking. Just saying.

Well, I learned this lesson early on and I would stand up for my friends when they were under attack - and was rewarded with almost alarm as if they feared being in my debt. I guess they wanted to let me know they wouldn't be there for me if I ever needed them, and they weren't. I met people who thought it was odd of me, as a female, to ever expect anything like gratitude or loyalty. Women don't get to have that, hadn't anyone ever told me?

Outside of personal relationships I was vocally protective of the rights of demographies that didn't include me, namely the LGBT community. I was one of those people who cried real tears of emotion when gay marriage became legal. I wanted equality and inclusion for everyone even when it was clear that this didn't benefit me personally in any way. It didn't have to, it was just the right thing to do.

But then when gender ideology became a threat to women's sex-based rights the same gay people who benefitted from the support of women like me called me a bigot and a phobe and told me to stay silent and suck it up. My rights didn't matter, only men's feelings. Loyalty was not reciprocated as in their vision of the world women are supposed to be servants of men and to revolve around them, so this is simply what men expect and require, no gratitude is in order. I cried real tears over this as well.

Now I can relate to how African-American women feel, as they have been for many years the group that is the most invested in fighting for human rights in America and who show up for everybody; by a large margin they were also the ones who most showed up to vote for Kamala and against Trump's tyranny... only to be defeated by white men and their sycophants, men and their handmaidens who dream of bringing back the South, with chattel for women and slavery for blacks.

People like me and African-American women, we lived our lives by that golden rule that if you don't help out your fellow human beings, regardless of what groups they're in, one day you're gonna need someone to help you and no one will be there.

We were hoodwinked by the patriarchy that conveniently left out that this is a lesson that only men need to learn.

Caring about all other groups and showing up for everybody who needs it does nothing for you... when you are nothing in the eyes of those groups. You can even save their very lives and they'll still see it as you having done nothing more than your duty. When it's their turn to come to the rescue they'll just watch you drown.

[hellscape-halogens]

pardon the fuck ups in this, i literally made this in MS paint

but yeah if you think that me voting Kamala because I'm "afraid of losing access to hormones" while people in Palestine are being slaughtered en masse daily? YOU ARE ABOLUTELY RIGHT!!! BECAUSE THE REPUBLICAN PARTY WILL NOT STOP AT HORMONES!

While you're all LARPing as Guy Fawkes and Tyler Durden's hate fuck love child, disgracing the punk movement, and secretly eating McDonalds and Starbucks because "oh it's just a little treat," there are people who are afraid of getting their rights stripped! And actively are in the midst of that happening!

IN THE STATE OF TEXAS, THERE ARE $10,000 REWARDS BEING OFFERED TO PEOPLE WHO CAN "CATCH" TRANS PEOPLE USING THE "WRONG" BATHROOM. Yes it is "only one" city, but having family from Texas and knowing generally how Texas is, this is going to have statewide effects in no time at fucking all.

IN MISSISSIPPI (MY HOME STATE), I COULD GO TO PRISON IF I AM CAUGHT WITH TESTOSTERONE ON MY PERSON BECAUSE IT IS A CLASS THREE CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE. AND IF I GO TO PRISON, I AM A FELON. AND GUESS WHAT FELONS C A N T DO??? THAT'S RIGHT!!!! VOTE!!!!!

ABORTION IS BANNED IN OVER 50% OF US STATES. IVF IS ON ITS WAY OUT TOO. SURROGACY MAY BE ON THE CHOPPING BLOCK. AND BIRTH CONTROL!

If you are SO FUCKING HIGH AND MIGHTY that people who are worried about having their rights stripped away in their home country are less deserving of your compassion and community than people who are also going through an ethnic cleansing BUT HALFWAY ACROSS THE WORLD????

I'm not saying you shouldn't care about Palestine. You should. A lot. But when they're done coming for Palestine and the LGBTQ+ community, they will come for you too.

Now, I would not normally feel that I need to remind everyone of this poem, but I am going to.

First They Came by Pastor Martin Niemöller

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

[caffeinated-in-spirit]

"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"

-Pastor Martin Niemöller, First They Came... (1946)

A confessional prose written by a German Lutheran clergyman on his guilt and the guilt of others, including fellow clergymen and German intellectuals, who remained silent in the face of the Nazis' rise to power.