A man climbed the lower sections of London’s Big Ben, also known as the Elizabeth Tower, on Saturday (8th March. He waved a Palestinian flag and descended early on Sunday morning after a 16-hour standoff. Police arrested him after he came down.
The standoff and support for the Palestinian flag
The man first appeared on the tower at 7:00 a.m. local time. He stood on a ledge several metres up the clock tower. Barefoot and wearing minimal clothing, he clutched a Palestinian flag. He shouted “Free Palestine” to the crowd below. Supporters cheered from the ground, shouting “You are a hero.”
Social media showed the man bleeding from his foot. He stayed on the tower well into the night, refusing to come down. Emergency crews urged him to descend, but he suggested he might stay for up to three days. Eventually, he agreed to come down.
Negotiations and police response
Emergency crews and negotiators worked to communicate with the man. They used a fire truck lift to approach him. However, the man said he would come down on his own terms. He warned negotiators that if they approached him, he would climb higher. As the night wore on, they continued to talk to him. They suggested that he reconsider, pointing out his injury and the cold weather.
Finally, at 1:00 a.m. on Sunday, the man was seen inside the lift. He held the Palestinian flag as he descended to the ground. The police confirmed that he was arrested after safely returning to the ground.
“We worked with other agencies, including the London Fire Brigade, to end the incident quickly and minimise risk to life,” a police spokesperson said.
The area around Westminster Bridge was closed during the event. Parliamentary tours were cancelled, and roads reopened only after the man was arrested. Social media clips showed the man recording videos on Instagram under the username “free_all.of.us,” where he continued expressing his political views.
Questions raised over security and further protests
Some politicians raised concerns about how the man was able to scale the tower unnoticed. Conservative MP Ben Obese-Jecty asked, “Where were the armed police officers patrolling the estate?”
The protest followed another high-profile event. On the same day, pro-Palestinian graffiti was found at the Turnberry golf resort in Scotland, owned by former US President Donald Trump. The protest group, Palestine Action, claimed responsibility. They painted slogans like “Free Gaza” and “Free Palestine” on the property.
Police in Scotland are investigating the vandalism. The act followed President Trump’s controversial remarks about Gaza, further heightening tensions in the region.
