A GROUP OF Irish politicians who travelled to Germany to attend the trial of Irish activist Daniel Tatlow-Devally today said they had concerns about the fairness of the proceedings, with one TD describing it as a “show trial”.

The cross-party delegation, which included People Before Profit TD Richard Boyd Barrett, Sinn Féin TD Mairéad Farrell, Labour TD Duncan Smith, Social Democrats Senator Patricia Stephenson, Fine Gael TD Barry Ward, Sinn Féin MEP Lynn Boylan and People Before Profit TD Ruth Coppinger, attended a hearing in Stuttgart.

The visit came a day after Boyd Barrett and Farrell met the 32-year-old Dubliner in prison in Ulm.

Speaking after visiting Tatlow-Devally in prison on Tuesday, Farrell said it was “deeply concerning” to see the conditions in which Tatlow-Devally was being held, saying he spends 23 hours a day in a five-by-two-metre cell.

Boyd Barrett similarly described the conditions as “appalling”.

Tatlow-Devally is one of the so-called Ulm Five, who are on trial over an alleged break-in at the Israeli-owned Elbit Systems defence factory in the German town of Ulm in September last year.

Protests have taken place outside the court during the hearings. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

Speaking outside court after today’s hearing, Boyd Barrett said he was “absolutely shocked” by what he described as “a show trial and a travesty of justice”.

“They are being treated as if they are terrorists,” he said, arguing the defendants were instead “peace activists”.

He also criticised security arrangements at the courthouse, saying members of the Irish delegation had pens and paper confiscated before entering the courtroom.

Boyd Barrett said the defence had made an application seeking permission for observers and parliamentarians to take notes, arguing there was no official recording or transcript of the proceedings.

“How can you have an appeal… if people are not allowed to take notes and there is no court transcript?” he said, describing the situation as “absolutely shocking”.

Labour TD Duncan Smith said the delegation’s concerns had “only accelerated” after observing the hearing.

“What we saw this morning, in that one morning of that trial, has only accelerated our concerns,” Smith said.

“What’s happening in a European court in a European nation is not a fair trial.”

Social Democrats Senator Patricia Stephenson said reports about the defendants’ detention and the conduct of the trial had been “reinforced” by what the delegation witnessed.

“The right to a fair trial is one of the fundamental principles” of the European Convention on Human Rights, she said.

Boyd Barrett said the delegation would continue to press the Irish Government to intervene.

“We intend to go back to Ireland and demand once again that our government speak up on behalf of the Ulm Five… to ensure a fair trial,” he said.

Tatlow-Devally and four other activists are accused of causing around €1 million worth of damage during a break-in at an Elbit Systems facility in the German town of Ulm in September 2025.

German prosecutors have charged the defendants under Section 129 of the German Criminal Code, which relates to membership of a criminal organisation.

If convicted, they face prison sentences of up to five years.

The group has said it carried out an act of civil disobedience against Israel’s genocidal in Gaza and has denied wrongdoing.