Pro-Palestine attack on Israeli arms factory in Germany

[Opinion. The Ulm 5 should galvanise public opinion to force Elbit out of Germany just as Palestive Action did to Elbit in the UK. Genocide is not an option.]

Pro-Palestine activists face trial for attack on Israeli arms factory in Germany

Families say ‘Ulm 5’ have been detained under extreme prison conditions since arrest last September

Kate Connolly in Berlin

The Guardian: 27 Apr 2026

Five pro-Palestinian activists are due to appear in court over an attack on an Israeli arms company in Germany, in proceedings their families say could become a “show trial”.

The Berlin-based activists, who are British, Irish, German and Spanish citizens, have been held in pre-trial detention in separate prisons since 8 September.

They are alleged to have broken into Elbit Systems, in the city of Ulm in Baden-Württemberg, in the early hours of 8 September, causing hundreds of thousands of euros of damage before calling the police to arrest them.

The Ulm 5 have been charged with trespass, destruction of property and participation in a criminal organisation under section 129 of the German criminal code. The trial is due to start on Monday.

The section 129 charge means authorities consider the accused a threat to society, allowing them to deny bail. Families of the defendants say they have been locked up for up to 23 hours a day and had access to visits, books, phone calls and mail restricted. If found guilty, they face up to five years in prison.

Elbit Systems is the most important land-based weapons supplier to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Germany is the second biggest supplier of arms to Israel, after the US.

Referring to section 32 of the German criminal code, Düsberg said: “Our central argument will be that the actions of our clients there – namely the destruction of laboratory equipment and office equipment – were justified under the grounds of emergency assistance.”

Under this clause, an otherwise unlawful act can be justified if there is no other way to avert imminent harm or attack, he said.

According to prosecutors, the group broke in and destroyed office and technical equipment with axes, detonated smoke bombs and defaced with graffiti the exterior of the building.

The five posted a video of their break-in online. They alerted police and waited in the grounds of the weapons factory for the authorities to detain them. The damage allegedly caused was estimated at €200,000 (£173,000) to €1m.

The court spokesperson added: “Due to its size, its state-of-the-art security and media technology, the new courtroom building is particularly well suited to the requirements of state security trials (such as that of the Ulm 5), especially given the anticipated high level of public interest.”

The trial is expected to run until the end of July.