A man was arrested after staging a 16-hour pro-Palestinian protest atop Big Ben’s Elizabeth Tower at the Palace of Westminster in central London on Saturday.
Emergency services responded to reports of a barefoot protester scaling the iconic landmark at 7:24 GMT, clutching a Palestinian flag. The man climbed several meters up the tower, refusing to come down voluntarily.
Specialist police negotiators and the London Fire Brigade spent the entire day attempting to persuade him to descend safely. However, the protester insisted on coming down on his “own terms.”
Eventually, at midnight, as Big Ben struck the hour, emergency crews used a cherry picker to retrieve the man from the tower.
Once back on the ground, the Metropolitan Police arrested the protester, citing the complexity of the operation.
“This has been a protracted incident due to the specifics of where the man was located and the need to ensure the safety of our officers, the individual, and the wider public,” Westminster Police said in a statement.
The protest caused significant disruptions, including:
Westminster Bridge temporarily closed
Bridge Street and one exit of Westminster Underground Station shut down
Parliamentary tours canceled for security reasons
Meanwhile, a small group of pro-Palestinian supporters gathered behind a police cordon at Victoria Embankment, chanting “Free Palestine” and “You are a hero” in support of the protester.
The incident marks one of the most dramatic political protests in London in recent months, drawing attention to the ongoing tensions surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
