A barefoot man who climbed Big Ben’s Elizabeth Tower in central London has been arrested.
Waving a Palestinian flag, the protester spent more than 16 hours perched on a ledge and refusing to leave as negotiators attempted to talk him into coming down.
He finally came down just after midnight on Sunday, with images from the scene showing him being lifted to the ground in a cherry picker.
In a statement issued just after 1am, police confirmed the man has been arrested and described the incident as ‘protracted’ due to the exact spot the man had chosen to stand on.
Emergency crews had been at the scene with dozens of uniformed police officers guarding the cordon which extended all the way from Bridge Street to Westminster Bridge.
Two aerial ladder platforms, an incident response unit ambulance, regular ambulances and two fire engines were also present late on Saturday.
Emergency crews and mediatorshad tried repeatedly to engage with the man, who scaled the tower at around 7.20am on Saturday and refused to budge.
In a video posted on Instagram, he tells negotiators he will come down ‘on his own terms’.
One clip shows negotiators on an aerial ladder platform appearing to raise concerns about an injury to his foot, saying there is ‘quite a lot of blood’ and that his clothes are not warm enough as temperatures drop after sunset.
He then insisted he was safe and said: ‘I will come down on my own terms, I have said this. But right now, I am saying I am safe.
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‘If you come towards me, you are putting me in danger and I will climb higher.’
An Instagram Live video released by the man shows him walking along Westminster Bridge on Saturday morning and then breaking into the Houses of Parliament.
He was also heard saying: ‘We’ve seen time and time again that peaceful protesters are being brutally arrested.
‘I have brought the protest to the so-called hub of democracy in the UK. I am doing this out of love for humanity.’
During his speech, he said that he is doing this as part of a pro-Palestinian movement and has since stopped streaming.
A spokesperson for Palestine Action told Metro: ‘Palestine Action applaud the brave action taken by this activist.
‘We also appreciate him calling for the freedom of political prisoners, including Palestine Action’s ‘Filton18’.
‘The eighteen activists are remanded in prison under counter terrorism powers for allegedly costing Israel’s biggest weapons firm millions in damages.’
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A pro-Palestine crowd was also at the scene cheering him on and chanting in support.
Tours of the Houses of Parliament were cancelled on Saturday because of the disruption.
Conservative MP Ben Obese-Jecty said on X there needs to be an explanation about how the man got into the parliamentary estate.
He said: ‘Every day in Parliament I see dozens of armed police officers patrolling Portcullis House and the parliamentary estate. Where were they today?
‘On Monday there needs to be a full explanation to MPs and staff as to how this protester was able to evade security so easily.’
A parliamentary spokesperson said: ‘We are aware of an incident on the parliamentary estate this morning, which is being handled by the Metropolitan Police, assisted by the London Fire Brigade and the London Ambulance Service.
‘Parliament takes security extremely seriously, however we do not comment on the specifics of our security measures or mitigations.
‘As a result of this incident, tours of the parliamentary estate today have unfortunately had to be cancelled.’
People have been posting about the news on social media, including Chris Middleton, who wrote on X: ‘Good morning from Westminster Bridge where just before 8am a barefoot man with a Palestine flag climbed up part of the Elizabeth Tower. The road is closed.’
Another user replied: ‘What an idiot.’
The Metropolitan Police also blocked an upcoming pro-Palestine march from gathering near a synagogue in central London.
Protesters were planning to gather outside Broadcasting House in Portland Place today to target the BBC.
But the Met imposed conditions under the Public Order Act to prevent the rally from gathering in the area.
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This is because it risked causing ‘serious disruption’ to a nearby synagogue on a Saturday, the Jewish holy day, as congregants attend Shabbat services.
The Met said it recognised ‘the important rights of people to protest and we have no wish to limit those, unless to prevent serious disruption’.
It added: ‘Accordingly, we have identified an area reasonably close to Portland Place where the assembly can take place.’
The protest, which has been organised by Palestine Pulse, IJAN, XR for Palestine and others, has been advertised with a 1pm start time.
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