The Irish State intervened with German authorities over the use of a glass enclosure in the trial of an Irish man and four other activists known collectively as the ‘Ulm 5′, defence lawyers have claimed.
Speaking at a press conference in the European Parliament in Brussels today, lawyers and family members of the five pro-Palestinian activists alleged that their clients have been subjected to conditions that violate their rights under European law.
The group, which is made up of activists from Ireland, the UK, Germany and Spain, are on trial in Stuttgart over a break-in at an Elbit Systems facility in Ulm in September 2025.
Videos posted online after the incident showed activists spray-painting slogans on the site and accusing Germany of facilitating Israel’s military actions in Gaza.
If convicted, the defendants face prison sentences of up to five years.
German prosecutors have alleged that the group caused around €1 million worth of damage and are pursuing charges linked to membership of a criminal organisation.
The five have been held in pre-trial detention since their arrests.
During today’s press conference, Sinn Féin MEP Lynn Boylan asked whether EU member states had intervened on behalf of their citizens given the conditions being described by lawyers and family members.
Mathes Breuer, a German defence lawyer representing Spanish defendant Leandra Rollo Valenzuela, said there had been limited diplomatic engagement.
“I can say that there was an intervention by the Irish state regarding this glass cage,” Breuer said.
“There has been connection, small talk, with Leandra, my client, with the Spanish consulate, but so far I think that’s about it.”
Breuer alleged that the trial conditions breach both the European Convention on Human Rights and EU law.
