Friedrich Gustav Emil Martin Niemöller was a German theologian and Lutheran pastor. He is best known for his opposition to the Nazi regime during the late 1930s and for his widely quoted 1946 poem "First they came ...".

What does the quote by Martin Niemoller mean?

The quotation and its variants express Niemöller's belief that Germans had been complicit through their silence in the Nazi imprisonment, persecution, and murder of millions of people. He felt this to be especially true of the leaders of the Protestant churches.

What is the message of First they came?

It deals with themes of persecution, guilt, repentance, and personal responsibility.