If a strong government finds that it can, with impunity, destroy a weak people, then the hour has struck for that weak people to appeal to the League of Nations to give its judgment in all freedom. God and history will remember your judgment.

In this quote, Haile Selassie speaks to the injustice faced by weaker nations when subjected to the oppression or destruction by stronger governments. He argues that if a powerful state can act with impunity, meaning without fear of consequences, against a weaker people, it is the duty of the weaker people to seek help from an international body like the League of Nations. By appealing to the League, they are calling for an impartial judgment that will uphold justice, freedom, and the rights of the oppressed.

Selassie emphasizes that such an appeal is not only a legal or political act but one that will be remembered by both God and history. This underscores the moral and ethical weight of the situation—where justice is not only a matter of international law but also of divine and historical judgment. Selassie is appealing to both the moral conscience of the international community and the collective memory of future generations.

The quote also reflects Selassie's broader advocacy for the rights of oppressed peoples, especially in the context of his own experience as the Emperor of Ethiopia during the Second Italo-Ethiopian War. In the face of Italian aggression, Selassie sought international intervention to protect his nation and its people from foreign colonial domination. His speech to the League of Nations in 1936, where he famously made this statement, highlighted the failure of the League to act in defense of Ethiopia, symbolizing the broader inability of international organizations to protect smaller, weaker nations from aggressive powers.

The origin of this quote comes from Haile Selassie's speech at the League of Nations in 1936, where he appealed for support against the Italian invasion of Ethiopia. His plea is a powerful reminder of the need for international solidarity and justice, especially when the weak are subjected to the tyranny of the powerful. His words resonate as a call for the protection of sovereignty and the human rights of all nations, no matter their strength or size.