Berlin, Germany – The trial of five European nationals accused of attacking a factory linked to Israeli weapons manufacturer Elbit Systems in Germany is set to begin on Monday.The case is seen by some as a major escalation in Germany’s crackdown on the Palestine solidarity movement.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listAccording to the prosecution, in the early morning of September 8, 2025, the activists entered the factory in the southern city of Ulm and began destroying office equipment while filming themselves.Elbit Systems is Israel’s largest private defence contractor and plays a central role in the war in Gaza. It is believed to provide roughly 85 percent of the combat drones and land-based equipment used by the Israeli army. The factory in Ulm is operated by a wholly owned subsidiary of Elbit Systems.Similar attacks on Elbit facilities have also taken place in other European countries, including the Czech Republic and notably the United Kingdom, where the Palestine Action protest group, whose main target is Elbit Systems, was founded.In the case of the so-called “Ulm Five”, the Office of the Chief Prosecutor of Stuttgart is pursuing charges of property damage and considers the activists members of a criminal organisation. Arguing for lengthy prison sentences, the prosecution is calling for the court to consider “anti-Semitic motivations and objectives” of the raid on the arms manufacturer, according to the indictment that Al Jazeera has obtained.The lawyers for the activists contend the alleged incident was “an act of civil disobedience” aimed at stopping actions that violate i …
