GERMANY: Civil disobedience action against Israeli arms company tests limits of political engagement

Five Palestine solidarity activists from the United Kingdom, Spain, Ireland, and Germany are currently facing trial in Stuttgart on charges of being part of a criminal organisation and causing approximately €1 million in property damage. The activists, known as the Ulm 5, broke into an Ulm facility belonging to the Elbit Systems company, one of Israel’s largest arms manufacturers, in November 2023 and were arrested shortly afterwards. The legal case following the civil disobedience action has become political, with the prosecution accusing Palestine Action Germany, the movement the five activists are part of, of being a criminal organisation and therefore the activists of being members of a criminal organisation. In testimonies given in May 2026, the activists framed their actions as necessary civil disobedience motivated by the failure of all legal channels to halt what they described as Germany’s complicity in genocide through its arms exports to Israel via Elbit Systems’ subsidiary operations in Germany.

According to the defence, the charges are disproportionate, politically weaponised, and mirror the German state’s support of Israel. The defence argues that the activists committed only non-violent property damage and should be charged for that. The German authorities and the court have been criticised for the disproportionate harsh conditions for the detained activists. All five defendants have been held in high-security pre-trial detention since September 2025, with the court delaying proceedings beyond the standard six-month limit for detention cases. The activists have been held handcuffed in glass cages during trials and in solitary confinement at separate prisons for up to 23 hours a day.

The case sets concerning precedents for civic freedoms more broadly in Germany. If convicted on the criminal organisation charges, the activists face up to five years in prison. A guilty verdict could also lead authorities to start treating civil disobedience movements as criminal organisations rather than legitimate expressions of political dissent. Experts at Amnesty International Germany argue that the case of the Ulm 5 is another example of terrorism laws being misused against protest movements, and that it’s in breach of fundamental rights and risks chilling future political engagement.

A similar case is currently unfolding in the United Kingdom, where Palestine Action was banned under the Terrorism Act in July 2025. The ban was challenged and ruled to be unlawful, though the ruling is currently being appealed by the government.