Viral video: Man climbs London's Big Ben with Palestinian flag tower, screams ‘Free Palestine’, netizens say ‘shoot’

A man who scaled the lower sections of Big Ben's Elizabeth Tower at London's Palace of Westminster early on Saturday has come down after 16 hours and was subsequently arrested, the British police said on Sunday.

He was waving a Palestinian flag and shouted "Free Palestine", according to British media, as reported by Reuters.

Also Read: Anti-Israel protesters replace US flag with Palestinian flag at Harvard University | Watch video

"We worked with other agencies including the London Fire Brigade and deployed specialist officers to bring this incident to a close as quickly as possible whilst minimising risk to life," a Metropolitan Police spokesperson said, according to the report.

Watch the videos here:

By the time of writing, the post had accumulated 11.8k views, 44 likes, 24 reposts, and 40 comments.

Emergency crews used a crane to negotiate with a man who had climbed Elizabeth Tower (Big Ben). He eventually came down after telling negotiators he would do so "on his own terms," as reported by Sky News.

Also Read: Israel-Hamas War: UK warns ‘waving Palestinian flag or chanting songs’ may be a criminal offense

The Metropolitan Police spokesperson mentioned they were notified of the situation at 0724 GMT.

As a result, emergency services shut down Westminster Bridge on Saturday morning, and parliamentary tours were called off. The police later confirmed that all roads were reopened after the man’s arrest.

Netizens react

A user said, “Praying for torrential rain and gale winds.”

Another said, “Don't walk underneath him,” another added, “Leave him to it…if he slips, it would be a shame.”

Earlier in 2019, an Extinction Rebellion activist wearing a blond wig was arrested after climbing the scaffolding surrounding the clock tower. Tree surgeon Ben Atkinson climbed the scaffolding surrounding Big Ben dressed as Boris Johnson – complete with a blond wig, shirt, jacket and tie – and was up Elizabeth Tower for around three and a half hours on October 18 2019, before police managed to get him to come down.

Also Read: What does it mean to recognise Palestinian statehood?

In a separate incident on Friday night, Donald Trump’s Turnberry golf resort in Scotland was vandalized by Pro-Palestine activists in protest of the U.S. president’s comments on Gaza. The golf course, located in South Ayrshire and owned by Trump, was targeted with activists painting "Gaza Is Not For Sale" in three-meter-high letters on the lawn and damaging the greens. Palestine Action described the act as a “direct response to the U.S. administration’s stated intent to ethnically cleanse Gaza.”

(With inputs from agencies)