Shorouk Express
A pro-Palestinian protester who scaled Big Ben’s Elizabeth Tower has been safely brought down after more than 16 hours perched on the London landmark and subsequently arrested.
The man, holding a Palestinian flag, climbed the building that houses Big Ben just after 7am on Saturday in front of shocked onlookers. Police, firefighters and paramedics were called to the Palace of Westminster shortly afterwards.
He was brought down about midnight, several hours after emergency personnel and negotiators raised on an aerial ladder platform pleaded with the man to come down at about 6pm, in the third such attempt that day.
A video filmed by the man during that exchange showed three emergency personnel expressing concern for the man’s safety.
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In the footage, negotiators on an aerial ladder platform appear 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.
But the man insists he is safe and says: “I will come down on my own terms, I have said this. But right now I am saying I am safe.
“If you come towards me you are putting me in danger and I will climb higher.”
“We worked with other agencies including the London Fire Brigade and deployed specialist officers to bring this incident to a close as quickly as possible whilst minimising risk to life,” a Metropolitan Police spokesperson said.
Earlier in the day, large crowds looked on from beyond a cordon, with parliamentary tours cancelled and Westminster Bridge closed, while police also blocked pedestrian access at Parliament Square after protesters began to gather near the edge of the cordon.
Pro-Palestine protesters on Whitehall shouted “free Palestine” and one appeared to be waving at Big Ben. The activist on the landmark returned a wave and shouted something inaudible back.
The man was seen in photographs sat on the ledge with the flag and a keffiyeh wrapped around the decorative stonework on the tower.
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At around 10am on Saturday, three emergency personnel were lifted several metres up on a fire brigade aerial ladder platform, with one person using a megaphone to speak to the man on the ledge.
But the man was still on the ledge when the platform was lowered at around 11.45am, with a second attempt made on Saturday afternoon.
Westminster Bridge remained closed on Saturday afternoon as the Metropolitan Police, London Fire Brigade and London Ambulance Service continued to deal with the incident.
Bridge Street, which is at the north end of Westminster Bridge and adjacent to the tower, was also closed to allow crews to use the aerial ladder platform to reach the man.
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There was heavy traffic in the surrounding area as motorists avoided the closures, with London bus routes 3, 11, 148, C10 and 159 on diversion.
Tours at the parliamentary estate were cancelled on Saturday as emergency services responded to the incident, a parliamentary spokesperson confirmed, adding: “Parliament takes security extremely seriously.”
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said earlier: “Officers are at the scene working to bring the incident to a safe conclusion.”
A spokesperson for the London Fire Brigade said crews from four different fire stations had been deployed to the scene.
