UK
Keffiyeh-clad protester who climbed Big Ben arrested after 16 hours on ledge
The barefoot man forced police to close the area to traffic
March 9, 2025 10:23
The barefoot man forced police to close the area to traffic
March 9, 2025 10:23A keffiyeh-clad protester who climbed Big Ben on Saturday was arrested after spending 16 hours on a ledge part of the way up the tower.
The barefoot protester, who could be seen holding a Palestinian flag, forced police to cordon off the area and close Westminster Bridge to traffic.
A large crowd gathered below to observe the scene as emergency services used a ladder platform to try to persuade him to safely descend from the landmark.
“At 7.24 am on Saturday 8 March officers were alerted to a man climbing up the Elizabeth Tower at the Houses of Parliament,” a Metropolitan Police spokesperson told the press.
“Officers are at the scene working to bring the incident to a safe conclusion. They are being assisted by the London Fire Brigade and the London Ambulance Service,” the police added.
At least nine fire and ambulance vehicles lined Bridge Street to deal with the incident, the Guardian reported.
“Firefighters are responding alongside the Metropolitan Police Service to reports of a person scaling the Palace of Westminster,” a London Fire Brigade spokesperson said.
It took 16 hours to get him down.
Meanwhile, in Scotland on Saturday, pro-Palestinian activists reportedly spray-painted golf courses belonging to US President Donald Trump.
Palestine Action protesters defaced the clubhouse at the Trump Turnberry resort, reports said.
In a video posted on X, activists were also seen spraying the words “GAZA IS NOT 4 SALE” across the lawn at the golf course.
The American president last month proposed the voluntary transfer of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip to neighbouring countries. He added that the United States would “take over” the enclave from Israel and turn it into a “Riviera”.
On Wednesday, Trump threatened Hamas in a social media post after an Oval Office meeting with a delegation of eight Israelis who were recently released from captivity in Gaza under a hostage-prisoner exchange.
“‘Shalom Hamas’ means hello and goodbye — you can choose,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. “Release all of the hostages now, not later, and immediately return all of the dead bodies of the people you murdered, or it is over for you. Only sick and twisted people keep bodies, and you are sick and twisted.
“I am sending Israel everything it needs to finish the job. Not a single Hamas member will be safe if you don’t do as I say,” the president continued.
“Release the hostages now, or there will be hell to pay later.”