"I do not have the impression that this is a fair trial"

This week, the trial kicked off for the Ulm 5 – five Berlin-based activists who in September travelled down to the city of Ulm in Baden-Württemberg and broke into Elbit Systems, a critical weapons supplier to Israel.

The members of the group – British, Irish, Spanish, and German citizens with no prior criminal records – are charged with trespassing, destruction of property and participation in a criminal organisation. The damage they allegedly caused is estimated at somewhere between €200,000 to €1,000,000.

The five continue to be denied bail under section 129 of the German criminal code, which means that authorities consider the activists a threat to society. For months, they have been isolated in separate detentions as Germany seeks to make an example out of their case.

Their treatment is such that their lawyers have raised serious concerns about due process, and their families have condemned the proceedings as "a show trial." "The friends carried out only property damage, at a specific location and with the aim to end a genocide. They did not hide their identities and presented themselves for arrest. They represent no harm to the public," the mother of 32-year-old Dublin native Daniel Tatlow-Devally told the Guardian. "Using section 129 to keep them in detention … before the trial can in my view only be viewed as serving a political purpose."

HEIST spoke with Benjamin Düsberg, one of the 11 lawyers on the defence team, about what this case means for Germany.

What has the vibe in the courtroom been like so far? Have there been a lot of people in attendance? 

The atmosphere on the first day was heart-rending and shocking at the same time.