People Before Profit TD Richard Boyd Barrett has said Daniel Tatlow-Devally is being prosecuted for “doing nothing more than protesting”, as the Irish citizen faces trial with four others in Germany over allegations including a break-in, criminal damage and offences examined by counter-terrorism investigators.
Tatlow-Devally, a 32-year-old Irish citizen resident in Berlin, has been held in pre-trial detention since September 2025. German authorities have denied bail.
If convicted, the defendants could face sentences of up to five years in prison.
Speaking on the Plinth this week, Boyd Barrett said it was “really shocking what’s happening” in the case, claiming that Tatlow-Devally and others were involved in a “peaceful direct action protest” against an Israeli defence company.
He described the group’s alleged actions as part of an effort to prevent what they believed to be “genocide” linked to Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, and said he had been in close contact with Tatlow-Devally’s family.
He said they were involved with “a peaceful direct action, where they absolutely owned up to what they were doing, but were acting in order to prevent the commission of a genocide.”
He also raised concerns about the conditions under which the trial is being conducted, claiming that the defendants are being held in a high-security environment typically used for serious organised crime or terrorism cases.
“The judge has put them in a high security environment which is normally reserved for those being prosecuted for organised crime or for terrorism,” Boyd Barrett said.
He said he had written to opposition TDs seeking a Dáil debate on the matter, and called on the Government to intervene publicly.
“One of the big asks that we’re putting to the government is that they will make a public statement in support of Daniel Tatlow Devally,” Boyd Barrett said.
“Essentially embarrass the German government over its treatment of people who are doing nothing more than protesting against a genocide.”
German authorities allege a series of offences linked to an incident at the premises of Elbit Systems, a military technology company headquartered in Israel.
Prosecutors allege that Tatlow-Devally was among a group who forced entry into the building in September 2025 by breaking a glass door using tools.
Once inside, they are accused of causing extensive criminal damage to rooms and technical infrastructure using implements including an axe, crowbar and hammer, as well as setting off smoke devices and spraying political messages as graffiti.
The material damage has been estimated at approximately €1 million.
Prosecutors have also said the case shows indications of an alleged “extremist background”, with counter-terrorism officers involved in the investigation to determine whether a terrorist motive may have been present.
Tatlow-Devally is one of five defendants, known as the “Ulm Five”, currently on trial in Stuttgart. According to an RTÉ report published this week, the defendents are also facing charges over the use of symbols which prosecutors claim to be linked to Hamas, which is designated as a terrorist organisation in Germany.
The group reportedly recorded and posted footage of the incident online, and also remained waiting around on the scene until police arrived.
The defence has argued that the actions amounted to civil disobedience aimed at disrupting the company’s activities, which they claim are linked to the conflict in Gaza. They say their clients are “human rights defenders”.
The Department of Foreign Affairs has previously confirmed that consular assistance is being provided to Tatlow-Devally, with officials maintaining contact with him and his family.