Man arrested after climbing Palace of Westminster

A person has been arrested after scaling Large Ben’s Elizabeth Tower on the Palace of Westminster in central London.

Emergency companies have been known as at 07:24 GMT on Saturday to stories of a protester who had climbed up the tower holding a Palestinian flag.

The barefoot man reached a ledge a number of metres up the tower and refused to go away.

Emergency crews went up in a crane to barter with him, and he finally got here down in a cherry picker as Large Ben struck midnight, after greater than 16 hours.

Westminster Police mentioned the person had been arrested as soon as he reached the bottom.

“This has been a protracted incident because of the specifics of the place the person was situated and the necessity to guarantee the security of our officers, the person and the broader public,” they added.

“We labored with different businesses together with the London Fireplace Brigade and deployed specialist officers to deliver this incident to a detailed as rapidly as doable while minimising threat to life.”

The incident led to the closure of Westminster Bridge, one of many exits at Westminster Underground Station and Bridge Avenue.

Excursions of the Parliamentary Property have been additionally cancelled in response.

Three emergency personnel have been lifted a number of metres up on a hearth brigade aerial ladder platform at round 10:00 GMT, with one particular person utilizing a megaphone to talk to the person on the ledge.

Negotiations then continued all through the day and into the night time.

In a video posted on Instagram on Saturday night, the protester may very well be heard telling negotiators he would come down on his “personal phrases”.

The person was heard saying: “When you come in direction of me you’re placing me in peril and I’ll climb larger.”

Pictures all through the day confirmed him sitting on the ledge with the flag and wrapped a standard Palestinian keffiyeh scarf across the ornamental stonework on the tower.

“Shouts of “Free Palestine” and “You Are A Hero” may very well be heard from a small group of supporters who have been pinned behind the police cordon at Victoria Embankment.

Officers imposed a situation on protest exercise close to Parliament Sq. to forestall severe disruption, the Met mentioned.

It meant the pro-Palestinian protesters have been ordered to maneuver to a close-by road.