A man was arrested several hours after climbing Big Ben’s Elizabeth Tower in an apparent protest in London.
The man first scaled the U.K. tower at the Houses of Parliament at the Palace of Westminster at 7:24 a.m. local time on Saturday, March 8, according to Westminster Police. He was subsequently arrested after agreeing to come down the tower more than 16 hours later on Sunday, March 9, the BBC reported.
In what appeared to be a protest, the man, who has not yet been identified by police, scaled Elizabeth Tower before stopping at a ledge located several yards above the ground and refusing to leave, according to reports from the Associated Press and the BBC.
Barefoot and dressed in all-black, the man carried two Palestinian flags, one that he wrapped around part of the tower and one that he waved while standing on the ledge.
He stayed on the London building until after midnight local time, negotiating with emergency crews who reached him via crane. The man later stepped off the building and got into a cherry picker, per the AP and BBC.
Sipa via AP
Officials negotiate with the man who climbed London’s Elizabeth Tower in an apparent protest on March 8, 2025
In footage of the incident, the man could reportedly be heard telling negotiators that he would come back down the tower on his “own terms,” the BBC reported. He also told them, “If you come towards me, you are putting me in danger, and I will climb higher,” the outlet said.
Following the negotiations, traffic in the surrounding area was at a complete standstill, according to the AP and the BBC.
As emergency services, including officers with the London Fire Brigade (LFB) and London Ambulance Service (LAS), arrived on the scene to deal with the incident, authorities closed Bridge Street and the Westminster Bridge in both directions, police announced.
Tours of the Houses of Parliament were also put on pause because of the incident, according to the AP and BBC.
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When the protestor finally came down on March 9, he was arrested upon reaching the ground, police said in an update.
“The man has now been arrested,” Westminster Police wrote in an X post. “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.”
Police also said that officers worked with other agencies, including the LFB, and “deployed specialist officers to bring this incident to a close as quickly as possible whilst minimizing risk to life.”
“We have been in close liaison with the Parliamentary Estate throughout,” police concluded the update, “and all roads have been reopened.”
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