A barefoot man who climbed up the Elizabeth Tower at the Palace of Westminster in London while carrying a Palestinian flag early Saturday continued to refuse to come down, even as darkness started to fall.
According to police, officers were called after the man made his way up to a ledge on the tower, which houses the landmark Big Ben clock at 7:24 GMT, or 2:27 a.m. ET, reports BBC News.
He said he was protesting "police repression and state violence."
He filmed his climb, which led to the cancellation of tours of Parliament and the closure of the Westminster Bridge.
About three hours after the man reached a ledge on the tower, three emergency personnel were lifted up on an aerial ladder platform to speak with him.
The negotiations continued with no sign of the man agreeing to come down 10 hours later, when Big Ben chimed after nightfall at 21:00 GMT, or 4 p.m. ET.
The man's climb began when he entered the grounds of Parliament and walked up some stairs. He then climbed onto a railing and started scaling Elizabeth Tower.
The climber took his shoes off at one point so he could go higher on the tower, and authorities said he injured his feet, with pools of blood being seen on the tower's stonework.
Within minutes after the man started climbing, police asked him if he could get down safely. He told them that he was safe and that he would come down when he was ready.
As the day went on, the climber was seen sitting on the ledge, holding his flag and having wrapped a Palestinian keffiyeh scarf on the tower's stonework as shouts of "Free Palestine" and "You are a hero" rang out from a group of supporters behind the police cordon.
London's police had imposed conditions on protesters near Parliament Square, ordering the pro-Palestinian protesters to move from Bridge Street, at the north end of Westminster Bridge, to nearby Richmond Terrace.
The man's climb came while pro-Palestinian protesters caused heavy damages to one of President Donald Trump's golf courses on Scotland's west coast, saying that they were fighting his plan to "take over" the Gaza Strip.
Palestine Action, the group claiming responsibility, said protesters attacked the course "in response to the American administration's plans and threats to destroy, ethnically cleanse, and 'take over' the Gaza Strip, reports CNN.
They painted "GAZA IS NOT 4 SALE" on the lawn of the Turnberry resort and dug up parts of the golf course, including holes used in championship matches.
Palestine Action, a British-based activist group, says its goal is to disrupt the operations of weapons suppliers for the Israeli government.
Trump has said he wants to redevelop Gaza, and that the United States will "take over" the Gaza Strip.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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