This is very true, and it extends to all kinds of violence -- even the violence of words. When you let a bigoted or racist remark (or "joke") go unchallenged, you have encouraged the hater to continue promoting his hate. You have taken sides -- the side of hate and bigotry. Silence is never a neutral position when it comes to hatred. You either stand against hate, or you allow it to continue (and silence in the face of hate will be interpreted as support for it). There is no middle ground, nor should there be.
Silence IS Affirmation. The US was silent on the condition of the Jews in Germany and the rise of Hitler for many, many years. Japan had to attack Pearl Harbor before we even considered dipping our military toe into the world-wide conflicts. We tacitly approved the horror of WWII and we were drawn into it because we didn't stop it up front when we had the chance.
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