Pro-Palestine group accused of raiding Elbit factory face trial in Germany

Berlin, Germany – The proceedings of 5 European nationals accused of attacking a mill linked to Israeli weapons shaper Elbit Systems successful Germany is acceptable to statesman connected Monday.

The lawsuit is seen by immoderate arsenic a large escalation successful Germany’s crackdown connected the Palestine solidarity movement.

Recommended Stories

• list 1 of 4Europe’s increasing combat implicit Israeli goods: Boycott movements mushroom
• list 2 of 4Palestine aIly Ireland nether occurrence for allowing weapons transfers to Israel
• list 3 of 4‘Keffiyehs seized, near to die’: Inside the Palestine Action hunger strike
• list 4 of 4Photos: UK constabulary apprehension much than 500 radical astatine Palestine Action rally

According to the prosecution, successful the aboriginal greeting of September 8, 2025, the activists entered the mill successful the confederate metropolis of Ulm and began destroying bureau instrumentality portion filming themselves.

Elbit Systems is Israel’s largest backstage defence contractor and plays a cardinal relation successful the warfare successful Gaza. It is believed to supply astir 85 percent of the combat drones and land-based instrumentality utilized by the Israeli army. The mill successful Ulm is operated by a wholly owned subsidiary of Elbit Systems.

Similar attacks connected Elbit facilities person besides taken spot successful different European countries, including the Czech Republic and notably the United Kingdom, wherever the Palestine Action protestation group, whose main people is Elbit Systems, was founded.

In the lawsuit of the alleged “Ulm Five”, the Office of the Chief Prosecutor of Stuttgart is pursuing charges of spot harm and considers the activists members of a transgression organisation. Arguing for lengthy situation sentences, the prosecution is calling for the tribunal to see “anti-Semitic motivations and objectives” of the raid connected the arms manufacturer, according to the indictment that Al Jazeera has obtained.

The lawyers for the activists contend the alleged incidental was “an enactment of civilian disobedience” aimed astatine stopping actions that interruption planetary law.

“No 1 was injured,” they said successful a caller statement. “None of the defendants has a anterior transgression record. None utilized unit against immoderate person.”

Matthias Schuster, lawyer for Vi Kovarbasic, 1 of the activists, told Al Jazeera that each the accused were progressive successful pro-Gaza protests and had “witnessed the unsuccessful effort to clasp the Israeli and German governments accountable for their relation successful the genocide by some planetary and German law”.

A intelligence toll: Seven months successful Isolation

For much than 7 months, the activists – who clasp Irish, British, Spanish, and German citizenship – person been held successful high-security detention crossed Germany.

In jail, they person spent up to 23 hours a time successful isolation, and determination are strict limits connected visits, their lawyers say. Every telephone telephone and sojourn are monitored.

The radical includes 32-year-old Irish nationalist Daniel Tatlow-Devally; 25-year-old Briton Zo Hailu; Crow Tricks, who is besides British and 25; 29-year-old German national Kovarbasic; and Leandra Rollo, a 40-year-old Spanish national.

According to ineligible documents seen by Al Jazeera, Tatlow-Devally has been denied books by authors specified arsenic Nelson Mandela by the situation authorities. A tribunal aboriginal overturned the restriction.

Tatlow-Devally, who precocious completed a master’s grade successful Berlin, expressed concerns astir his wellness successful a missive work aloud astatine an lawsuit successful Berlin astatine the extremity of March. His parent told Al Jazeera she is acrophobic astir the conditions and solitary confinement, and said, “It feels similar torture”.

“For 5 months, though Daniel went without immoderate carnal interaction to different human,” she said.

Tatlow-Devally’s defence lawyer, Benjamin Dusberg, believes the bid for pretrial detention was unlawful from the beginning.

“There was ne'er adjacent the slightest hazard of flight. Our clients waited astatine the country for the constabulary to arrive, adjacent though they could easy person fled,” helium said. But the existent contented runs deeper, according to Dusberg: “Our clients person touched a earthy nervus successful Germany’s crushed of state. Now the authorities wants to marque an illustration of them.”

Germany has agelong drawn planetary disapproval for its continued arms exports to Israel, 2nd lone to the United States. Nicaragua has taken Germany to the International Court of Justice implicit its continued arms exports to Israel during the warfare connected Gaza.

‘Significant’ concerns: Amnesty

The prosecution’s charges to screen spot harm – including reddish overgarment connected the building, arsenic good arsenic destroyed computers and sanitation facilities – were primitively estimated astatine 200,000 euros ($234,000). But they present magnitude to much than 1 cardinal euros ($1.17m). Elbit Systems declined to remark connected the matter.

The activists are being prosecuted nether Section 129 – a “criminal organisation” statute with roots successful the governmental upheaval of the Prussian era. Typically reserved for “terrorists” and organised transgression groups, this ineligible statute has precocious been applied to governmental and clime activists. The prosecution contends that the activists are members of “Palestine Action Germany”, a classification that enables the harsh ineligible conditions they present face.

Amnesty International sees “significant quality rights and rule-of-law concerns”, Paula Zimmermann, an adept connected state of look and assembly astatine the NGO, told Al Jazeera.

By prosecuting governmental protestation nether this statute, “legitimate civilian nine engagement is being equated with organised crime”, she said, noting the actions of the information services person “chilling effects” and forestall radical from “exercising their rights to state of look and assembly”.

The activists are besides charged with “using symbols of unconstitutional and violent organisations”.

In the past, immoderate German courts person ruled that the operation “From the River to the Sea – Palestine volition beryllium free” constitutes a awesome of Hamas. The indictment further interprets the usage of the words “child murderer” and “48” successful notation to the officially recognised territory of Israel arsenic anti-Semitic.

The Office of the General Prosecutor successful Stuttgart told Al Jazeera that it “assumes determination is capable suspicion that the transgression was motivated by anti-Semitic intent”. However, it added that an appraisal of the grounds would instrumentality spot “once the grounds has been presented astatine trial”.

The Interior Ministry of Baden-Wurttemberg sent Al Jazeera wide statements connected anti-Semitism and Elbit Systems, but stated that “the graffiti astatine the transgression country suggests a governmental motive”.

The ministry further cited Palestine Action’s listing arsenic a proscribed “terrorist” organisation successful the UK, without acknowledging the British High Court’s ruling successful February 2026 that the designation was disproportionate and unlawful.

A ruling from a higher administrative tribunal connected situation conditions, obtained by Al Jazeera, suggests a condemnation of much than 2 years is likely. The proceedings is acceptable to extremity successful July. The determination successful Stuttgart-Stammheim is symbolic. In the 1970s, members of the far-left Red Army Faction were convicted determination successful 1 of Germany’s biggest trials.

Since October 7, 2023, German authorities person responded harshly to anti-war protests. In summation to bans and the prosecution of slogans and symbols, videos of constabulary unit person repeatedly gone viral. Weeks ago, protests disrupted a Berlin lawsuit astatine which United Nations Special Rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories Francesca Albanese was speaking. Unlike the UK, Germany has not seen wide protests successful enactment of actions specified arsenic attacks connected arms factories.