Pro-Palestinian activist arrested after 16-hour standoff on Big Ben

A pro-Palestinian activist who climbed London’s Big Ben while waving a Palestinian flag has been arrested after spending over 16 hours perched on the landmark.

The man scaled Elizabeth Tower at the Palace of Westminster just after 7am yesterday, prompting a major emergency response. Police, firefighters, and paramedics arrived as large crowds gathered beyond a security cordon, with Westminster Bridge closed and parliamentary tours cancelled.

A man has climbed Big Ben next to the Houses of Parliament in protest against British support for Israel and has been up there for the whole day, but there seems to be a media blackout on it. pic.twitter.com/e0DBkpn07j

— Lowkey (@Lowkey0nline) March 8, 2025

Despite multiple rescue attempts throughout the day, the barefoot protester insisted he would descend “on his own terms.” Emergency crews used a crane to negotiate with him, raising concerns over his safety and an apparent foot injury. A video filmed by the man during the standoff showed negotiators pleading with him to come down, while he accused authorities of “police repression and state violence.”

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He was eventually brought down after midnight, following a third intervention from emergency personnel. In a statement issued at 1am, the Metropolitan Police confirmed his arrest, stating: “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.”

Update | Big Ben Protester Descends After 17 Hours.

After 17 hours of standing on Elizabeth Tower (Big Ben), waving the Palestinian flag and demanding justice for Filton18, the activist finally left the ledge at midnight GMT. pic.twitter.com/qfIM5Y0Pur

— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) March 9, 2025

During the protest, the man draped a Palestinian keffiyeh around the tower’s decorative stonework while supporters behind the police cordon chanted “Free Palestine.” Conservative MP Ben Obese-Jecty has since demanded answers on how the man bypassed parliamentary security so easily.

Separately, the activist group Palestine Action reportedly vandalised US President Donald Trump’s Turnberry golf resort in Scotland, spraying “Gaza is not for sale” on the green and splattering red paint on buildings in protest against Trump’s proposal to “take over” Gaza and turn it into the “Riviera of the Middle East.”

All roads around Westminster have since reopened following the protester’s arrest.

READ: Palestine calls on international community to ensure protection of Palestinian women