A man who climbed Big Ben's Elizabeth Tower at London's Palace of Westminster waving a Palestinian flag early on Saturday has come down after 16 hours, according to Sky News.
Earlier on Saturday, the Metropolitan Police were called to the Palace of Westminster after it was reported a barefoot man was climbing the tower, which houses the famous Big Ben clock, while shouting "Free Palestine" and waving a Palestinian flag.
A Met Police spokesperson said: "At 7.24am on Saturday March 8 officers were alerted to a man climbing up the Elizabeth Tower at the Houses of Parliament.
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"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."
Images suggest the man is bleeding from his foot.
The fire department attended the scene with a cherry picker to reach the man and attempted to reach the man.
A spokesman for London Fire Brigade said: “Firefighters are responding alongside the Metropolitan Police Service to reports of a person scaling the Palace of Westminster.”
Pro-Palestinian protesters have started to gather in central London to show support for the man, Sky News reported.
A parliamentary spokesperson said: "We are aware of an incident on the Parliamentary Estate this morning, which is being handled by the Metropolitan Police, assisted by the London Fire Brigade and the London Ambulance Service.
"Parliament takes security extremely seriously, however we do not comment on the specifics of our security measures or mitigations. As a result of this incident, tours of the Parliamentary Estate today have unfortunately had to be cancelled."
About Big Ben
Elizabeth Tower, which houses Big Ben, is more than 96 metres tall but the man has not currently reached its summit.
Big Ben has been a niche topic of conversation among pro-Palestinian groups, according to Snopes and Front Page Magazine citing Fatah-affiliated media. Some Palestinians believe that Big Ben was the Clock Tower at Hebron Gate.
Fatah News reported in 2019, that the Hebron Gate clock was dismantled during the British Mandate and transported to London - where it became Big Ben. The theory is not widely believed.