A GROUP OF seven Irish politicians will travel to Germany this week to attend the trial of an Irish man and four other pro-Palestinian activists charged with causing about €1 million worth of damage at the factory of an Israeli-owned defence company.

People Before Profit TD Richard Boyd Barrett and Sinn Féin TD Mairéad Farrell will today meet 32-year-old Dubliner Daniel Tatlow-Devally in prison ahead of the next session of his trial on Wednesday.

People Before Profit-Solidarity TD Ruth Coppinger, Fine Gael TD Barry Ward, Labour TD Duncan Smith, Social Democrats Senator Patricia Stephenson and Sinn Féin MEP Lynn Boylan are also part of the delegation attending the trial.

Tatlow-Devally is one of the so-called ‘Ulm 5′, a group of activists from Ireland, the UK, Germany and Spain who are on trial in Stuttgart over a break-in at an Elbit Systems facility in the German town of Ulm in September 2025.

German prosecutors allege the group caused around €1 million worth of damage and 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.

Elbit Systems, an Israeli defence company, supplies drones, weapons and targeting systems to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

Videos posted online by the Ulm 5 after the break-in showed activists spray-painting slogans on the site and accusing Germany of facilitating Israel’s military actions in Gaza.

The group has repeatedly said it “engaged in an act of civil disobedience against the ongoing genocide in Gaza”.

“There was no threat to anyone at any stage in their protest. They did not conceal their faces and did not run away,” a statement from the group said.

The five have been held in pre-trial detention since their arrests.

Family members of the Ulm 5 have alleged the activists have been subjected to severe restrictions and poor prison conditions while in custody.

They have also alleged their communications have been monitored and claimed some of the defendants have experienced inadequate healthcare and food shortages.

Those allegations have previously been disputed by German prosecutors.

Lawyers for the group have also criticised the conditions under which the trial is being conducted, saying the defendants have been handcuffed when brought into court and that proceedings are taking place in a high-security courtroom more commonly associated with terrorism prosecutions.

Speaking ahead of his visit today, Boyd Barrett said the Ulm 5 “are being held in inhumane conditions, and tried under laws and in a manner normally reserved for terrorists and organised criminals”.

“They were protesting against a company in Germany producing weapons used by Israel to prosecute what the Irish government itself has said is a genocidal and illegal campaign against Gaza and the Palestinian people,” Boyd Barrett said.

“This is a prolonged trial that is scheduled to continue until January next year. The Irish government urgently needs to send observers to protect the rights of an Irish citizen, and the basic right to a fair trial.”