Man, who climbed London’s Big Ben tower with Palestinian flag, arrested after coming down

According to a BBC report, the man was heard telling the negotiators that he would come down from Big Ben’s Elizabeth Tower on his own terms. The barefoot man had his way onto a ledge on the tower which was several meters up at the Palace of Westminster.

Emergency workers talk to a man after he climbed up Elizabeth Tower, which houses Big Ben, at the Palace of Westminster in London. (Jeff Moore/PA via AP)

“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 Reuters.

The Sky News reported that emergency responders had gone up to the tower in a crane in order to negotiate with the man who kept shouting “free Palestine”.

Oh my god!!!! My friend is near Big Ben and Sent this. This person climbed Big Ben with the Palestinian Flag and screaming Free Free Palestine #FreePalestineNow #BigBen pic.twitter.com/mW68xseHFE

— Rachida Benamar🐝 (@ramapublishing) March 8, 2025

In response to the incident of the man climbing up the tower, emergency services closed the Westminster Bridge on Saturday morning, and parliamentary tours were also cancelled.

However, the Metropolitan police informed that all the roads were reopened after the man came down and was subsequently arrested.

The man has now been arrested.

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.

— Westminster Police | Central West BCU (@MPSWestminster) March 9, 2025

In a video posted on social media, the man was heard saying “If you come towards me you are putting me in danger and I will climb higher.”

Media reports suggested that the man had videographed his climbing the tower and was protesting against “police repression and state violence”.

A small group of supporters gathered behind the police cordon near the tower and shouts of “Free Palestine” and “You Are A Hero” could be heard. The group apparently appeared to show support for the man who had climbed the tower.