A PRO-Palestine activist took just ten seconds to breach Palace of Westminster security yesterday — before he climbed up the Big Ben tower.
Security experts condemned the breach, saying it was lucky the man was not a terrorist carrying a bomb.
Chris EadesA bloodied climber ties a Palestine flag to the Big Ben tower[/caption]
Security experts condemned the breach, saying it was lucky the man, circled in red, was not a terrorist carrying a bomb
PAThe defiant intruder speaks on his mobile[/caption]
The protester filmed himself easily climbing over a 12ft spiked perimeter fence alongside Westminster Bridge into the Parliamentary estate, before starting to scale the Elizabeth Tower housing Big Ben shortly before 7.30am.
There was no immediate sign of police until a single uniformed officer appeared on the ground as the man was heading up.
Negotiators were locked in talks with him throughout the day, using a cherry picker to reach his level on the London landmark.
Pictures showed the bearded and tattooed man, wearing a cap and glasses, tying a Palestine flag and keffiyeh scarf on to the building.
Blood poured down the stonework from his wounded bare feet after he took off his trainers for part of his perilous 50ft climb — recorded on a phone strapped to his body and posted on Instagram.
Former minister and ex-British Army officer Tobias Ellwood, who battled to save PC Keith Palmer when he was stabbed to death in the Westminster terror attack in 2017, last night called for an urgent security review.
The ex-MP told The Sun on Sunday: “Millions of pounds were rightly spent upgrading Parliament’s security after the 2017 attack.
“Yet, here we see the ease in which a protester was not only able to enter the Parliamentary estate, but then proceed to scale the Elizabeth Tower.
“No intruder should ever have the time and space to roam within the perimeter like this.
“I’m sure an urgent review will now be conducted.
“Otherwise the breach might not be a protester, but a terrorist.”
Clips posted on the free_all.of.us social media account shows a few early morning joggers running past the unidentified protester as he walks along Westminster Bridge past a road sweeper.
Video shows him approaching the spiked security fence plastered with trespassing warning signs and clambering over it within seconds.
Police were there inside three minutes — by which stage he was already climbing the tower.
They cordoned off the area while “working to bring the incident to a safe conclusion”, the Met Police said.
The London Fire Brigade sent crews from Lambeth, Chelsea, Soho and Islington, while paramedics were on standby.
A large crowd of fellow protesters and onlookers saw the man pumping his fist in the air shouting: “I’m not going anywhere.”
They screamed “We love you Danny” and chanted “Keir Starmer watch your back, Palestine is coming back” and “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”.
Three officers wearing harnesses and climbing gear used a megaphone to attempt to coax the free-climber down from his perch — but without success.
He was still up there late last night and is understood to have told police he plans to remain there for three days.
One officer was heard saying: “He scaled two fences, so somebody is going to lose their job.
“If he’s serious about staying up there, I think what we will have to do is cordon a smaller area overnight and resume the same restrictions in the morning.”
Elsewhere, the Met blocked pro-Palestine protesters from gathering outside the BBC’s Broadcasting House for fear of what it called “serious disruption” to a nearby synagogue.
Retired Met Chief Supt Simon Ovens, ex-borough commander of the City of Westminster, said: “A man managing to climb up the Elizabeth Tower is a serious breach of security.
The protester climbs bare feet on the edge of a ledge
Negotiators were locked in talks with him throughout the day, using a cherry picker to reach his level on the London landmark
AFPTobias Ellwood said: ‘No intruder should ever have the time and space to roam within the perimeter like this’[/caption]
“This could have had ramifications which don’t bear thinking about.
“Once again the Palace of Westminster will need to re-evaluate how to protect its buildings.
“It all happened so fast, but the speed of the rapid and proportionate response was very quick.”
Dai Davies, former head of royal security and the Territorial Support Group, said: “It beggars belief that someone can storm and climb the Palace of Westminster so easily.
“In today’s age of heightened security, it is guarded by a combination of armed, unarmed and civilian officers, plus CCTV.
“This is yet again a fundamental failure.
“But it’s not the first time and I sadly fear it won’t be the last.
“The breakdown in law and order in London is unbelievable.
“There’s little or no deterrent.
“People know they can get away with it because we’re so soft.”
An Extinction Rebellion activist wearing a Boris Johnson wig climbed the tower’s scaffolding in 2019.
Another protester wearing a Spider-Man suit scaled it in 2020.
A Parliamentary spokesperson said: “Parliament takes security extremely seriously.
“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 had to be cancelled.”
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