Leonardo Guzman Riveros. First came to look for the Communists, and I was not Communist so I do not proteste. Then they came for the Socialists and the labor leaders, but was not neither one nor the other so no proteste. Then they came for the Jews, but I was not Jewish so I do not proteste. And when they came for me already it was not anyone who might protest. He could have sworn that these verses were written by Bertolt Brecht, dramatist and German poet killed by the Stasi, according to some, or a cardiac arrest after one cold, according to others. Brilliant and troubled was almost expelled from high school per say to die for the homeland era propaganda directed in which only fools fall. His father and the religion teacher managed to avoid punishment in that opportunity.
Brecht – creator of the epic Theatre walked forcing his balance on the edge of the knife with remarkable determination and skill; proof of this was shortly before the installation of the nazi regime in Germany made the film To whom the world belongs you? that was banned in 1933. Prior to this had already received warnings for his Opera of four quarters where criticized the bourgeois order representing it as a society of criminals. Throughout much of his life expressed its commitment to the ideas Socialist Marxist, however the emergence of his libertarian spirit turned him into a critical severe upon which Cay the rough weight of power without compassion, either when the nazis burned his books, or when he was interrogated during his exile in the United States by the Committee of activities anti Americansdriven by Republican Senator Joseph Mc Carthy. This last episode forced him to leave a day after the interrogation practised by the Committee. Several times he was on the verge of becoming a martyr of his own ideas and remains the doubt but so happened at the end of his days.
By some thoughtless mechanism authorship was attributed to Brecht’s the verses that give home to this note. Actually, versions that most know are different to the text presented today, not in its fund pessimistic and hopeless. Current, is that the author was Martin Niemoller, Protestant pastor who spoke as part of a sermon in the Holy week of 1946, in Kaiserslautern, Germany. The true author – finally confused – did not do so in verse as the text presented today and, as if this were not enough, never took him to the written letter. * Original author and source of the article.