Crow, Daniel, Leandra, Vi, and Zo—five people who could no longer stand by and watch as genocide is being committed in Palestine and as weapons, money, and political support from Germany contribute to it.
On September 8, 2025, the Ulm 5 accessed the German headquarters of the Israeli defense contractor “Elbit Systems” in Ulm. There, they destroyed laboratory equipment, measuring instruments, and IT infrastructure to disrupt the company’s production and help put an end to the war against Palestine. Therefore, the Ulm 5 are currently imprisoned in Germany and have been on trial in Stuttgart-Stammheim since April 2026.
Shut Elbit down
Elbit Systems is the largest Israeli defense contractor, producing, among other things, ammunition, information technology, as well as 85% of all drones used in the genocide in Gaza. Elbit profits directly from the mass murder, displacement, and surveillance of the Palestinian population and is an accomplice to the genocide.
Furthermore, its military equipment and surveillance technology are used worldwide to monitor borders, wage wars, and enable the violent enforcement of economic and political interests of many states.
With their direct action against Elbit Systems, Ulm 5 is specifically targeting a profiteer of the genocide. In doing so, they are joining an international movement in which activists are carrying out direct actions against Elbit sites. And with success: In England, repeated Actions led to the permanent closure of production sites.
Germany’s Rationale of State
The German government stands with Israel politically, economically, and militarily: through arms deliveries, military cooperation, diplomatic backing, and the repression of the Palestinian movement here in Germany.
In doing so, it not only denies its own complicity in the genocide but also profits directly from it. The German arms industry is currently logging record profits. The rearmament and militarization of Germany and other countries are increasing without an end in sight.
The counterpart to this foreign policy is repression here in Germany. Demonstrations are banned and suppressed with police violence; organizations are criminalized; German citizenship is denied and made contingent on a commitment to recognize “Israel’s right to exist.” This state repression is intended to secure German support for Israel while simultaneously deterring further parts of the Palestinian movement from protest and resistance.
It is in this context that the trial against the Ulm 5 is taking place. The relocation of the regular regional court proceedings to Stuttgart-Stammheim deliberately places the trial in the context of terrorism.
This is also evident in the courtroom: The Ulm5 must follow the proceedings from behind glass partitions and separated from their attorneys, making confidential communication impossible. Motions filed by the defense are ignored or delayed, thereby limiting the defense’s ability to present its case. Supporters attending the trial in solidarity are criminalized and removed from the courtroom.
All of this turns the trial against the Ulm 5 into a political show trial. It exposes how the German state persecutes and depoliticizes those who oppose its involvement in genocide, and how, in the process, the rule of law takes a back seat to political interests.
In prison, in the courtroom, and on the streets: one struggle!
After October 7, 2023, Israel launched an offensive aimed at annihilating the Palestinian people. Bombs on Gaza, deadly attacks in the West Bank, and countless people being tortured, abused, and killed in Israeli prisons. Despite the genocide and displacement, the Palestinian people are resisting.
Global solidarity with Palestine is also evident in Germany—and thus on every day of the trial in the courtroom in Stammheim. The Ulm5 and their defense attorneys are using the trial to expose the connections between the German war industry, state repression, and the war against Palestine.
They are refusing to comply with the trial’s conditions, exposing Elbit Systems and the role of the court in their statements, and focusing on the political nature of the action and its legitimacy in bringing an end to the genocide.
The Ulm 5’s defiant and proactive approach to their trial is an expression of solidarity and connection with Palestine. Its impact extends beyond the courtroom and is intertwined with solidarity with the Ulm 5 themselves. Countless people from various countries come to the trial, send their support to the prisoners, and make it clear that the Ulm 5 are not alone.
We carry these connections out onto the streets. Let’s show our solidarity with the Ulm 5, lets accompany them on trial, let’s make it clear why they are on trial, and let’s carry their resistance from the courtroom out onto the streets. Against German war profiteers, against state repression, and for a free Palestine!
Come to the demonstration! October 24, 2026 / Stuttgart
More Info: ulm5.info / @ulm5 / mailto:freeulm5stgt@systemli.org