Elie Wiesel, writer, Nobel laureate

Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. -Elie Wiesel, writer, Nobel laureate (b. 1928)

I believe that this is true, when it is clear that one party in a dispute is an oppressor and the other a victim. Then it is morally reprehensible, though often very tempting, to be silent. But sometimes it isn't quite clear who is the oppressor. Then it seems to me that the course of wisdom is to remain neutral until it is clear. Depending on the gravity of such a conflict, it may be morally necessary to intervene in some way to determine exactly the nature of the conflict.

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