Never forget...

Supporters of the ultra-right British National Party (BNP) claim it is "on its way" after doubling its number of councillors in England, following local elections on 4th May 2006. Prior to the elections the BNP held 20 council seats out of 22,000. They now hold 48 seats.
I'm not really that surprised about the success of the BNP considering the demonisation of religious extremism, immigrants and asylum seekers in the press. Also there was a feeling that the mainstream parties were "out of touch" with the electorate (in particular, native Britons).
But while I understand the reasons, let us not forget what lies at the heart of extreme right-wing parties like the BNP.....

A few years ago, I visted Boston - and was humbled by the New England Holocaust Memorial.
Six large glass towers, each tower representing six Nazi death camps (Belzec, Auschwitz-Birkenau, Sobibor, Majdanek, Treblinka, and Chelmno). Each plate of glass are etched with white numbers, which represent the registration numbers of victims.
There are so many, it is heart-breaking.
At the end of the memorial there is the following message on a black granite monolith:

"They came first for the Communists,and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist.
Then they came for the Jews,and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew.
Then they came for the trade unionists,and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Catholics,and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant.
Then they came for me,and by that time no one was left to speak up."
---Martin Niemoeller
NEW ENGLAND HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL
BNP doubles number of councillors