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A delegation of Irish politicians, representing various parties, called on the Dublin government to send observers to the trial of five pro-Palestine activists in Germany, and to raise the issue of the detention of one of the Irish defendants during the visit of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to the country next week.
On Wednesday, the 7-member delegation attended the trial session of a group known as “Ulm 5” in Stuttgart, where its members are facing charges in connection with the storming of a site belonging to the Israeli weapons company “Elbit Systems.”
Sinn Féin MP Myriad Farrell said that she and two other members of the delegation visited the Irish defendant, Daniel Tatlow-Devaly, in prison, calling on Irish Prime Minister Michael Martin to discuss his case with Merz during his expected visit on Tuesday.
“Cruel and unjustified” conditions… 23 hours a day inside the cell
Farrell expressed her shock at Tatlow-Divali’s detention conditions, explaining that he spends 23 hours a day inside a cell whose area, according to her information, is about 5 by 2 metres, and he is only allowed one visiting hour per month.
She considered these circumstances to be “extremely cruel and unjustified,” especially since the defendants did not cause injury to anyone.
Also, the German authorities did not allow the delegation members to discuss the case with the Irish defendant during their visit to him, which Farrell described as “very strange.”
Allegations of a break-in at Elbit Systems
German prosecutors say that Tatlow-Divali was among a group of five activists who stormed, last September, a site belonging to the company “Elbit Systems” in the city of Ulm, southern Germany, and chanted pro-Palestinian slogans, while smashing windows and equipment inside the facility.
According to the prosecution, the activists caused damage estimated at about one million euros, while they published video recordings on the Internet in which they claimed responsibility for the operation, stressing that its goal was to highlight Germany’s support for the Israeli occupation and its war on the Gaza Strip.
Germany is the second largest arms exporter to the Israeli occupation after the United States.
Tatlow-Divali confirmed in court last May that the group was motivated by “pressing humanitarian concerns” and sought to cause a stir in the hope of disrupting Elbit’s shipments to the occupation.
In a related context, last month, a British judge issued long-term prison sentences to four activists from the “Palestine Action” movement, after they destroyed drones and other equipment inside an Elbit Systems factory in Britain, considering that there was a “terrorist connection” to their crimes.
Criticism of the trial procedures
Members of the Irish delegation criticized the trial procedures, noting that the defendants are detained inside a cage or behind a glass barrier, which prevents them from communicating freely with their lawyers.
Lawyers for the defendants, who hold British, Irish, German and Spanish nationalities and reside in Berlin, have repeatedly raised the issue of the glass barrier, considering that it impedes their clients’ right to legal representation and full participation in the trial.
Demands pressure on Berlin
Farrell stressed the need for the Irish government to send observers to attend trial sessions regularly until the verdict is issued, calling on Martin to raise the concerns of the accused, his family, and the delegation about his treatment inside prison and his ability to obtain legal representation during his conversations with Mears.
The German Chancellor’s visit to Dublin is scheduled to focus on Ireland’s six-month presidency of the European Union, which began on July 1.
The delegation included Members of Parliament Richard Boyd Barrett, Ruth Coppinger, Barry Ward and Duncan Smith, along with Senator Patricia Stevenson, Members of the European Parliament Lynn Boylan and Mairead Farrell.
Farrell confirmed that the members of the delegation intend to return to Germany before the end of the trial, expected next January, and to continue closely following its developments.
