When they first attacked the communists

Niemöller himself states that the phrases were established in his speech without a manuscript and were not published as poetry, so there is no original in the strict sense of the word.

Pastor Niemöller told the thousands of people about himself (all too humbly). The Nazis attacked the communists. He became somewhat uneasy, but he was not a communist, so he did nothing. Then they attacked the socialists. He was uneasy, but did nothing because he was not a socialist. Then the schools, then the newspapers, then the Jews, and each time he was worried, but again he did nothing. And they attacked the church. He was a churchman. So he did something. But it was too late.

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