What can I do to support the Ulm 5?

The trial starts next Monday. Here’s what you can do to help

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22/04/2026

The Ulm 5

Five activists with various nationalities have spent the last 7 months in different prisons around South Germany. Their crime? Taking non-violent direct action against Elbit Systems. Elbit Systems is Israel’s largest weapons manufacturer (famous for their killer drones), and is deeply complicit in the Gaza genocide. 

Crow, Daniel, Leandra, Vi, and Zo are facing harsh pre-trial conditions, ranging from long hours spent in isolation to being deprived of ways to keep themselves entertained and even being stripped of their clothing for an unnecessary amount of time.

Their court hearings are set to begin on Monday, 27th April. 16 hearings have been planned over 3 months. Although all that they did was damage property, the German state is collectively charging the defendants with being part of a “criminal organisation.” This carries a possible jail sentence of 5 years for each of them.

In a crucial time of escalating Zionist and imperialist aggression, it is imperative to stand by activists who have taken courageous action while the state has refused to give up its support for Israel, and corporations are not held accountable for their material support. This article will detail some ways in which you can support them.

Go to the court cases

The Ulm 5 have been held for 8 months in de facto solitary confinement. The best way of showing how much we care about them is by showing up to their court hearings. We encourage everyone to self-organize and visit one or more of their trials. Bring your friends and comrades! For the first court hearing on the 27th of April, Berliners can make use of collectively organized transport and accommodation.

The trials will be held in the Stammheim Court in Stuttgart, Asperger Straße 47. Court hearings are planned for 27th April, 4th, 6th, 11th 20th 22nd, and 29th May, 15th, 19th and 29th June, and 1st, 3rd, 22nd, 24th, 27th, and 29th July. All court hearings will start at 9am. It is possible that some hearings will be canceled or rescheduled on short notice, so please stay informed here.

Filling the court with supporters helps strengthen the morale of the 5 and their lawyers, but please be aware that there is a limited number of seats available inside the court. 68 places are available in the court, of which 30 have been reserved for the press, leaving only 38 places free for family and supporters. 

Even if you cannot enter the court, the Five would like there to be as large a presence as possible. A rally will be held in front of the court from 8am onwards. Sometimes, judges are influenced positively by hearing the people outside. If the defendants are to enter the court before 8am, a rally may be organised earlier to greet them.

Get your solibus tickets at L5 Spati (Lenaustr. 5 daily 12-24 o’ clock) or by emailing common_journey_court_watch@systemli.org. The solibus will depart on Sunday April 26th at 10am from Südkreuz. That same bus will bring us to the court early in the morning on the 27th and back to Berlin after the court hearing ends.

Accommodation is arranged in Karlsruhe – just bring your sleeping mat and bag. The trial could last until 4 or 5pm. After that, people may stay for 30-60 minutes to wait for the defendants to leave the court. 

If you want to be in court, make sure you bring an ID or passport. It is likely that you will have to leave mobile phones, laptops, and other personal belongings in security lockers outside the court. Do not bring any items which could be interpreted as weapons (this includes metal water bottles), or any sensitive documents which could be confiscated by security.

Become a Trial Observer

German court cases are not recorded, and no transcript is made. This is why Trial Observers write down everything that is said in court and how it is said. Watch out for sarcasm and demeaning language. Written reports can help defence lawyers. They are particularly useful in the case of the defendants being convicted, as evidence based on the reports can be used to appeal the sentence. 

Try and write down everything you hear and see. If you get tired, note the time from which you are unable to pay full attention.

After the day is over, trial observers compare notes to produce a written report. You will only be allowed to take handwritten notes – transfer these to a computer as soon as you can. Try to distinguish between facts and subjective impressions. It is important that you do not publish your notes until checking with others, as this could jeopardize the case.

It is quite possible that the judge and security will try to deny entry to the court to some of us, so if you intend to take notes, do not wear clothes with slogans which may get you excluded. At present, it also appears possible that court observers might not be permitted to bring any writing materials into the court.

If you are interested in becoming a trial observer, there will be people on the buses to Stuttgart who you can talk to. Alternatively, send a message to us at team@theleftberlin.com, and we will help you make contact.

Support funding campaigns for parents to travel

Four of the Ulm 5 are not from Germany, which means that their families face exorbitant costs if they are to attend the trial. On top of this, the court cases have been staggered, so that 16 days in court will take place over 3 months. Attending each court case requires 16 potential journeys to their countries and back.

To help the families cover these costs, a number of crowdfunding campaigns have been set up. Please give generously:

Send letters to the prisoners

Many of the prisoners are being held in prison 23 hours a day. Letter writing is therefore a huge boost to their morale and helps keep them connected with the outside world and the campaign that supports them. At present, it takes 2 to 4 weeks for letters to arrive. Some letters have taken 5 months, and 2 that arrived only recently were sent in October.

When writing letters to prisoners, there are a few important things to consider.

  • Write a date on the letter so the prisoner will know when you sent it. 
  • Take a photo of the letter before you send it for your own records. 
  • Include a return address on the letter itself.
  • If you include anything in the envelope, write that you did so that the prisoner will know if any items were confiscated.
  • Letters with only a picture or drawing are not allowed, but you can send pictures as long as the envelope also contains a written letter.
  • It is forbidden for you to write about the Ulm 5’s action, the case, or related matters.

Please note that letters will be surveilled, and their contents might be used against the prisoners or even yourself. Do not write about the actions that the prisoner is detained for, the prisoner’s relation to the action, or how you feel about them, as this could put both them and you at risk. 

You can send an online letter to any or all of the prisoners here.

You can also write to Leandra in English or Spanish at the following address:

Leandra Daniela Rollo Valenzuela

JVA Memmingen

Gaswerkstr. 23

87700 Memmingen

Germany 

You can write to Vi at:

Vivien Sonja Kovarbasic

701 561/2025

Schwäbisch Gmünd

Herlikofer Str. 19

73527 Schwäbisch Gmünd 

You can write to Daniel at:

Daniel Tatlow-Devally

JVA Ulm

Frauengraben 4

89072 Ulm

You can write to Zo at:

JVA Karlsruhe – Außenstelle Bühl 

You can find more tips about sending letters here.

Let people know

One of the biggest problems facing the Ulm 5 is that, despite the severity of their potential sentences, very few people know about their case. In contrast, say, to Palestine Action in the UK, where thousands of pensioners have let themselves be arrested in solidarity, very few people in Germany, including many activists, know about the Ulm 5. This makes it easier for the German state to isolate them and prevent a mass campaign from developing.

One of the simplest ways of showing solidarity is to ensure that as many people as possible know who the Ulm 5 are, what they did, and what they are being threatened with. We have the potential to build a campaign which is both broad and international.

Here are a few ways you could do this.

Inform yourself

The German state will benefit if the public at large is not paying attention to the court hearings. Public scrutiny matters. It is becoming increasingly clear that the state aims to threaten, repress and ultimately end anti-Zionist activism. The Ulm 5 could easily become a precedent for future repression. 

What further exacerbates their situation is that mainstream German media are not reporting about the Ulm 5. This is a problem for democracy. Staying informed and informing people you know about what happens to the Ulm 5 during their court hearings is a good place to start.

People in solidarity with the Ulm 5 have created this website and Instagram page to keep people informed and rally support. The Left Berlin website will also continue to keep the spotlight on the Ulm 5 during their trials.

Tell your friends and workmates

We can fight state oppression, media silence and the escalating criminalization of Palestine solidarity by building a shared consciousness with people we spend time with in our daily life. If we do not converse about the unfolding events, we miss the opportunity to see the current political climate for what it is. Let’s build educated networks that can meaningfully resist. 

No one wants to or should be made to live in a world where “might is right”, nor should we be forced to remain sidelined when the bombs drop on innocent people in Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran. Take this opportunity to stand by the people who risked so much to put a cog in the wheel of our genocidal economy, a risk not many are willing to take. Risk is only ever reduced by carrying it collectively. We can learn from British society’s remarkable solidarity with imprisoned Palestine Action activists.

Contact the media

If you are a journalist, write about what is happening to the Ulm 5. If you are not a journalist, you can still use social media to share stories and write your own opinions. Remember that this is not just a German story. The more coverage we get in the international media, the better.

Leaflets and petitions

We encourage every activist group or individuals to print out and distribute flyers and posters to promote the cause of the Ulm 5. 

  • The Gaza Komitee has weekly information stalls at various locations in Berlin where flyers about the Ulm 5 are distributed. Their stories will keep you posted on the time, location and whereabouts.
  • Download a leaflet about the Ulm 5 here available in English or Arabic and German.
  • Download a poster of the Ulm 5 here – print and hang in spaces of solidarity.

Organise local actions

There will be a rally Free the Ulm 5 at Oranienplatz on Thursday, April 23rd at 6.30pm. As the trial will last several months, there will be further opportunities for actions in Berlin – for example at Universities, or at embassies (between them, the Ulm 5 have nationalities of Irish, British, German, and Spanish-Argentinian). If you want to organise something, please let us know and The Left Berlin will help to publicise. 

Send a video message in your language

One way of keeping the story in the public eye, and to build international attention, is to share videos in social media. Make your own short message explaining what is happening to the Ulm 5 and why you support them. If you release the video on Instagram, tag the Ulm 5 and Left Berlin accounts and we will help share it.

Further Information