A delegation of Irish members of parliament is to travel to Germany to attend the trial of Irish activist Daniel Tatlow-Devally, who was charged with trespassing and criminal damage to an Israeli arms factory, alongside four others. The politicians set out to attend the trial after concerns were raised about poor prison conditions and the fairness of the proceedings.

Daniel Tatlow-Devally, originally from Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown in Dublin, is one of five Berlin-based activists who were arrested on September 8, 2025, following an incident that took place in Ulm at Israeli arms company Elbit Systems, which supplies drones, weapons and targeting systems to the Israel Defence Forces (IDF).

They were charged with trespass, an estimated €1 million in criminal damage, and membership of a criminal organisation under Section 129 of the German Criminal Code. If convicted, they could face prison sentences of up to five years.

The five activists have admitted to the break-in, having filmed and posted online videos of themselves damaging the factory.

However, Tatlow-Devally told the trial in May that their actions had been motivated by “urgent humanitarian concerns” over the genocide in Gaza and that they hoped to “make a fuss … in the hope to at least interrupt” the company’s deliveries of arms to Israel.

The group’s defence team has stated that they will prove their clients’ actions were permissible acts of protest “to disrupt the production of weapons Israel is using to target civilians”.

Family members of the activists and their defence team have raised concerns about the severe restrictions and poor prison conditions the group is subjected to. They also allege that their communications are being monitored and described the proceedings as a “show trial”.

Due to the concerns over the fairness of the proceedings, a seven-member delegation of Irish politicians is set to attend the trial in Germany. Among them are Mairéad Farrell (Sinn Féin), Richard Boyd Barrett (People Before Profit-Solidarity), Ruth Coppinger (People Before Profit-Solidarity), Barry Ward (Fine Gael) and Duncan Smith (Labour) as well as Senator Patricia Stephenson (Social Democrats) and MEP Lynn Boylan (Sinn Féin).

Speaking about the case, Boyd Barrett said the activists “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 added.

Senator Patricia Stephenson also stated, “We’re travelling together as a cross-party group as independent observers to underscore the importance of fair and transparent legal proceedings, and to reaffirm that respect for international human rights standards is fundamental to the administration of justice.”

The trial is set to continue on non-consecutive hearing days until January. The next session will take place in Stuttgart on Wednesday, July 22.

Activists in Ireland are also mobilising to keep the focus on the trial and offer support to the Ulm5. Author Naoise Nolan has shared a post on social media encouraging people to write letters to Daniel to “communicate not just whatever is explicitly said, but that we haven’t forgotten them and are speaking up for them.”

Find out more about the campaign here.

 

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