First they came for the Communists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a CommunistThen they came for the Socialists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a SocialistThen they came for the trade unionists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a trade unionistThen they came for the Jews
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a JewThen they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me— Pastor Martin Niemöller
Even though it already seems like an enormous chunk of time has passed, just last month, I wrote a piece about the importance of the Constitution, stressing what freedoms could be lost if we didn’t have this guiding document, or if it wasn’t honored or respected by leaders in government.
It didn’t take long for that warning to feel less hypothetical.
Shortly after publishing that piece, there were several attacks on American rights, including freedom of speech and freedom of the press. While I wasn’t surprised, I was disheartened by how quickly it happened.
Although some people may think the word “fascism” is over the top, the term fits. Fascism, a more extreme form of authoritarianism, is a political system where one person or group controls everything and violence and fear are used to control the population.
It also depends heavily on propaganda, and those in power frequently claim that their nation or race is superior to others. As I’ve written in previous pieces, there is evidence that democracy in the United States is eroding and sliding toward authoritarianism.
It’s not a term I throw around lightly, but the backsliding we are seeing is truly consistent with a fascist government.
Although this sentence was written during World War II, we’ve seen echoes of this in modern politics. The Army warned of this exact pattern:
“The fascists promised everything to everyone: they would make the poor rich and the rich, richer… It was easy enough for the fascists to promise all things to all people before they were in power. Once they were actually in power, they could not, of course, keep their contradictory promises.”
One of the more frightening components of fascism is that people think they are safe if they are not immediately affected — until they aren’t, as that same source warned:
“Once the fascists were in control of the government, not even the gang on the top was safe from its own members.”
The vast majority of us have relatives that fought fascism in World War II. I will never forget their sacrifice and choose to honor it by fighting — peacefully — for democracy in any way that I can. It’s easy to think of fascism as something that happens elsewhere or long ago, but the threat still exists today.
In fact, in 1945, the Army warned troops that America was not immune to fascism:
“The fascists knew that all believers in democracy were their enemies. They knew that the fundamental principle of democracy — faith in common sense of the common people — was the direct opposite of the fascist principle of rule by the elite few. So they fought democracy in all its phases.”
The military even developed a video in 1943 for the troops titled Don’t Be a Sucker. This video outlines how fascism relies on division and hatred to thrive. A line in the video includes, “We must guard everyone’s liberties, or we can lose our own,” which reflects back to Pastor Martin Niemöller’s poem at the beginning of this piece. While the video is lengthy, it is well worth your time. The parallels between the video and today’s political climate are uncanny.
I will be protesting peacefully tomorrow. For myself, my children, and your children.
I am not being paid.
I am not a member of “antifa” (whatever that means), but I am anti-fascist. And it really concerns me if you’re not.
I am not a Communist.
I am not a Marxist.
I am not a terrorist.
I am not pro-Hamas (and I don’t know a single soul who is).
I love the United States. In fact, the love I have for my country is why I am choosing to protest.
Lately, those in power have started using words like these to describe people like me. But if I paint a picture of someone that doesn’t fit that narrative, please ask yourself why government leaders are lying about the protests and the protesters themselves.
I will be practicing my First Amendment right to assemble and protest peacefully. Protest has helped to gain or preserve rights for all of us. It doesn’t matter if you like it, or even if you agree on the issue. From praying the rosary in front of Planned Parenthood to burning the American flag, protest is a protected Constitutional right in the United States.
If you ever sat in history or social studies class wondering what you would do during the Civil Rights movement, or even as an everyday German citizen in the 1930s, this is your chance to answer that question.
If I could get one point across, it would be this: we are being pinned against each other. The military warned troops about this as well, stating:
“They played political, religious, social, and economic groups against each other and seized power while these groups struggled against each other.”
Fascism doesn’t just thrive on hate — it thrives on indifference. It takes hold when people stop believing their voice or their government matters.
Make your young self — and future generations — proud.
Are you protesting tomorrow — or supporting from home? I’d love to hear what’s motivating you in the comments, and feel free to share pictures if you’re out there.
Sources
Holocaust Memorial Day Trust | First They Came – by Pastor Martin Niemöller
Don’t Be a Sucker : U.S. War Department : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive