Chaos at German 'Ulm 5' trial over damage to Israeli arms firm site

Five pro-Palestinian activists went on trial in Germany on Monday over a protest at an Israeli defence company's site in the southern city of Ulm, with chaotic scenes breaking out in the courtroom.

As the trial began in the heavily secured courtroom in Stuttgart, the defence lawyers left the room after failing to receive permission for the defendants to sit with them.

Following a two-hour adjournment, the lawyers then pointedly took their seats in the defendants’ places behind a thick security glass.

The judge from the Stuttgart Regional Court gave them five minutes to move to their designated seats, even threatening to remove them from the case – but the defence lawyers did not budge an inch.

The hearing was subsequently adjourned, with the trial due to resume in a week’s time.

The Ulm 5, as the group has become known, are three women and two men of Irish, British, Spanish and German nationality, aged between 25 and 40.

They are accused of criminal damage and trespass, as well as membership of a criminal organization over their ties to Palestine Action Germany.

The activists allegedly broke into a site belonging to a German subsidiary of the Israeli defence company Elbit Systems in September 2025, aiming to protest Germany's support for Israel during the war in Gaza.

Elbit is a provider of military equipment for the Israeli military, while the German subsidiary develops and manufactures military communications equipment.

The defendants are alleged to have gained access to the company’s premises through a side window and used tools to smash screens, computers and telephones in the offices, as well as a washbasin and toilets.

In one of the company’s technical laboratories, they are also alleged to have destroyed sensitive measuring equipment and electronic devices, with the total damage amounting to around €1 million ($1.17 million).

The activists were arrested without resisting at the site and have been in pre-trial detention for months.

The group Palestine Action was banned in England in July 2025 after activists broke into an air force base and sprayed paint on Royal Air Force aircraft.

In Germany, the group has so far attracted attention through occupations, protests and acts of vandalism. Elbit has been the target of several demonstrations.