Standoff continues as barefoot man with remains on Elizabeth Tower ledge

Negotiators are still said to be talking with the man who is thought to have climbed up the London landmark around 7.20am on Saturday

👉 Click Here to read in detail 👈

Emergency services have been engaged at the Palace of Westminster since early morning, dealing with a protester who has scaled Elizabeth Tower, brandishing a Palestine flag. Over eight hours into the standoff, footage emerged showing the barefoot man perched precariously on a ledge of the tower that is home to the iconic Big Ben.

The incident has led to the cancellation of scheduled Parliamentary tours, a Parliamentary spokesperson said. At least nine emergency service vehicles were stationed along Bridge Street while onlookers gathered outside the police perimeter.

‌

Images from the scene suggest the man bleeding from his foot, though details regarding this remain unclear. Negotiators continue to speak to the protester.

Earlier in the day, a video surfaced on Instagram, thought to have been filmed at approximately 7:20 am, showing a man climbing a fence near the Houses of Parliament without being approached by security guards.

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."

‌

The whole of Westminster Bridge was closed later in the morning as crews continued to deal with the incident. There is heavy traffic in the surrounding area due to road closures, and London bus routes 3, 11, 148, C10 and 159 are on diversion.

It is understood one exit of Westminster Tube station is closed, but there is no disruption to Tube services and passengers can use other exits.

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.

‌

"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."

At around 10am on Saturday, three emergency personnel were lifted several metres up on a fire brigade aerial ladder platform with one person using a megaphone to speak to the man on the ledge.

‌

Photographs show the man sat on the ledge with the flag and a keffiyeh wrapped around the decorative stonework on the tower. The man was still on the ledge when the platform was lowered at around 11.45am.

A spokesman for London Fire Brigade (LFB) said: "Firefighters are responding alongside the Metropolitan Police Service to reports of a person scaling the Palace of Westminster."

‌

Crews from Lambeth, Chelsea, Soho and Islington fire stations have been deployed, LFB added.

As the clock struck 2pm, a small team of negotiators were trying to talk the protester down from Elizabeth Tower.

‌

With his flag waving in the breeze, he was still clinging to his perch about 15 metres from the ground as the negotiators spoke to him from the top of a fire engine ladder.

Shouts of "Free Palestine" and "You Are A Hero" could be heard from a small group of supporters who were pinned behind the police cordon at Victoria Embankment.

Uniformed officers were guarding the taped cordon, which included the Houses of Parliament and Parliament Square.

Article continues below

Join our WhatsApp Top Stories and, Breaking News group by clicking this link

👉 Click Here to read in detail 👈

Miatamil

Listed here the latest Trending News