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A man holding a Palestinian flag has climbed the building that houses Big Ben in front of shocked onlookers as emergency services rushed to the scene.
Police, firefighters and paramedics were called to the Palace of Westminster, after the man scaled one of the buildings on Saturday morning in an apparent act of protest.
Emergency service vehicles lined Bridge Street as video posted on social media shows a barefoot man standing on a ledge holding a Palestine flag several metres up Elizabeth Tower, which houses Big Ben, in central London.
On Saturday evening, for a third time, emergency personnel and negotiators were being raised up on an aerial ladder platform to speak to the man, before coming down again, with the activist still left on the ledge.
A video filmed by the man during that exchange showed three emergency personnel expressing concern for the man’s safety.
In the footage, negotiators on an aerial ladder platform appear to raise concerns about an injury to his foot, saying there is “quite a lot of blood” and that his clothes are not warm enough as temperatures drop after sunset.
But the man insists he is safe and says: “I will come down on my own terms, I have said this. But right now I am saying I am safe.
“If you come towards me you are putting me in danger and I will climb higher.”
Large crowds looked on from beyond a cordon, with parliamentary tours cancelled and Westminster Bridge closed, while police also blocked pedestrian access at Parliament Square after protesters began to gather near the edge of the cordon.
Pro-Palestine protesters on Whitehall are shouting “free Palestine” and one appeared to be waving at Big Ben. The activist on the landmark returned a wave and shouted something inaudible back.
Pictures appear to show the man with blood coming from his foot, although no further details about any injuries have been revealed.
The man is seen in photographs sat on the ledge with the flag and a keffiyeh wrapped around the decorative stonework on the tower.
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.
But the man was still on the ledge when the platform was lowered at around 11.45am, with a second attempt made on Saturday afternoon.
Westminster Bridge remained closed on Saturday afternoon as the Metropolitan Police, London Fire Brigade and London Ambulance Service continued to deal with the incident.
Bridge Street, which is at the north end of Westminster Bridge and adjacent to the tower, was also closed to allow crews to use the aerial ladder platform to reach the man.
There was heavy traffic in the surrounding area as motorists avoided the closures, with London bus routes 3, 11, 148, C10 and 159 on diversion.
It is understood one exit of Westminster Tube station was closed, but there was no disruption to Tube services and passengers could use other exits.
Tours at the parliamentary estate were cancelled on Saturday as emergency services responded to the incident, a parliamentary spokesperson confirmed, adding: “Parliament takes security extremely seriously.”
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: “Officers are at the scene working to bring the incident to a safe conclusion.”
A spokesperson for the London Fire Brigade said crews from four different fire stations have been deployed to the scene.
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