Trial of 'Ulm 5' activists: How Germany is dealing with its Palestine Action case

Controversy has breached retired successful Germany implicit the proceedings of 5 pro-Palestinian activists, who are charged with belonging to a transgression organisation and destroying astir €1m (£870,000) worthy of spot astatine the tract of an Israel-based defence steadfast successful Germany's Ulm.

The lawsuit of the alleged Ulm 5 has sparked a statement successful Germany - a long-standing protagonist of Israel - astir however to woody with pro-Palestinian protesters, and could acceptable a precedent for the future.

The 5 activists, from the UK, Spain, Ireland and Germany, are being tried successful a high-security tribunal astatine Stammheim situation successful Stuttgart and person been successful pre-trial detention since September.

They are linked to Palestine Action Germany, and the prosecution and defence person clashed successful tribunal implicit whether they should beryllium tried arsenic members of a transgression organisation.

Public prosecutors reason that Palestine Action Germany constitutes a "criminal organisation" arsenic the intent of the activities was directed astatine committing "serious transgression offences". This ineligible ground has besides been accepted successful caller decisions taken successful akin cases.

However, the activists' defence lawyers accidental the the main offence they person committed is spot damage. They accidental the charges are disproportionate and their clients' "fair proceedings rights were being violated", an statement the prosecutors deny.

In September past year, the 5 activists broke into the Ulm premises of Elbit Systems, 1 of Israel's largest arms manufacturers, with branches successful respective countries including the UK. They were arrested soon afterwards and posted videos of their actions connected societal media.

The activists tin beryllium seen wearing signs saying "Palestine Action" and shouting: "Germany finances, Elbit Systems produces, Israel bombs." The video besides shows them spray-painting "Baby Killers" connected the walls.

Prosecutors person accused them of smashing screens, PCs, delicate measuring equipment, and physics devices.

The 5 person besides been charged with utilizing symbols of Hamas, the Palestinian militant group, which is proscribed arsenic a "terrorist organisation" successful Germany.

Their tribunal lawsuit astatine Stammheim situation was besides the venue of a 1970s proceedings against militants from the deadly left-wing Red Army Faction, and their lawyers reason that gives the content their clients are "dangerous individuals", and risks convicting them without a trial.

Prosecutors person told the BBC they did not petition immoderate "special detention conditions".

Other aspects of the lawsuit person besides caused controversy.

The complaint of rank of a transgression organisation comes nether conception 129 of the German Criminal Code which has go arguable successful caller years.

Increasingly it has been utilized against protestation movements specified arsenic clime radical Last Generation, and Yasmin Khuder of Amnesty International finds it "highly problematic" successful the Stammheim trial.

"This lawsuit creates a hazard that measures really intended to combat organised crimes are present being utilized against governmental protest," she said, arguing the 5 activists were exercising their state of look nether Germany's constitution.

The German lawsuit coincided with a UK proceedings earlier this period wherever 4 Palestine Action activists were convicted successful the UK of transgression damage, aft breaking into an Elbit Systems mill adjacent Bristol successful 2024.

There person been extended protests successful the UK by Palestine Action. In July 2025 it was proscribed arsenic a violent group.

The break-in happened earlier that, and the activists were charged successful narration to harm to property.

One of the activists was besides recovered blameworthy of inflicting grievous bodily harm.

The prohibition is contested successful the UK. In February, the High Court ruled that the violent radical designation was unlawful, and the UK authorities is appealing against the decision.

Khuder said that the UK designation "applied explicitly to Palestine Action UK and had nary planetary usage". She added: "We are besides profoundly acrophobic by the repeated references, successful this case, to the UK prohibition wrong the German proceedings."

In 2023, the German authorities banned assorted slogans arsenic "symbols of Hamas", and it has progressively monitored pro-Palestine protesters, but it has not designated Palestine Action a violent organisation.

Although determination person been immoderate convictions successful Germany implicit the usage of banned phrases and symbols, successful astir cases the courts determine connected an idiosyncratic basis, arsenic they were not banned by law.

The 5 person present been successful custody for 8 months, and activists and quality rights groups person criticised the conditions astatine Stammheim. Their families accidental German authorities are trying to marque an illustration of them.

Kit Tricks, whose 25-year-old sibling Crow Walt Tricks who is connected trial, told the BBC Crow was unsocial successful a compartment for 22 hours a day.

"The UN considers [this] solitary confinement," said Tricks, insisting that Crow and the others had "not harmed anybody".

The Public Prosecutor's Office successful Stuttgart told the BBC it had "not requested immoderate peculiar conditions of detention successful these proceedings", and that the restrictions were modular nether German law.

However Nicky Robertson, the parent of 25-year-old British national Hannah Hailu, known arsenic Zo, said she was "absolutely disgusted and outraged" by the attraction of her daughter, particularly erstwhile she was brought into tribunal successful handcuffs.

"What we are looking for is simply a just trial," she said, "and what we person seen truthful acold is not precise fair."

Robertson is looking for enactment from the UK government, and says she has contacted her MP and written to the UK ambassador successful Berlin. The British Embassy successful Berlin confirmed that it was" providing enactment to 2 British nationals detained successful Germany and was successful interaction with the section authorities".

Joel Crisetig, an expert astatine Armed Conflict Location & Event Data says Germany's precise antithetic attack to the lawsuit stems from its Nazi past and a "never again" doctrine since the Holocaust successful World War Two that has shaped its authorities and society.

He pointed to erstwhile Chancellor Angela Merkel celebrated connection that "Israeli information is Germany's 'reason of state'", wherever Germany's authorities and nine instrumentality peculiar work toward the State of Israel and the extortion of Jewish beingness worldwide.

For these humanities reasons "the pro-Palestinian question is overmuch weaker successful Germany than countries similar Britain oregon France", helium said.

His probe shows that successful the past twelvemonth Germany has had fractional arsenic galore pro-Palestinian demonstrations compared with its neighbour France, and importantly less than the UK.

Berlin's effect to the pro-Palestinian question and demonstrations is besides "harsher" than different countries, Crisetig believes.

"These types of actions are precise shocking to the German public, spot demolition connected an Israeli firm," helium told the BBC. These factors had led to authorities taking the Ulm incidental "as earnestly arsenic a panic case", Crisetig added.

The proceedings itself had a chaotic commencement successful precocious April, with supporters of the 5 defendants chanting and shouting" Free Palestine"; defence lawyers refused to beryllium down, due to the fact that their clients were down glass.

The lawsuit continues, and if recovered blameworthy the Ulm 5 look up to 5 years successful prison.