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A BAREFOOT man holding a Palestine flag has been seen climbing up Big Ben, sparking a huge emergency response.
Footage on social media shows the man barefoot on a ledge several metres up the Elizabeth Tower at the Houses of Parliament.
Bridge Street, on the north end of Westminster Bridge is currently closed.
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.”
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.
It comes as The Metropolitan Police blocked an upcoming pro-Palestine march from gathering near a synagogue in central London.
Protesters targeting the BBC were planning to gather outside Broadcasting House in Portland Place today, March 8.
But police said they have now imposed conditions under the Public Order Act to prevent the rally from gathering in the area.
They said it risked causing “serious disruption” to a nearby synagogue on a Saturday, the Jewish holy day, as congregants attend Shabbat services.
The Met said it recognised “the important rights of people to protest and we have no wish to limit those, unless to prevent serious disruption”.
It added: “Accordingly, we have identified an area reasonably close to Portland Place where the assembly can take place.”
The protest, which has been organised by Palestine Pulse, IJAN, XR for Palestine and others, has been advertised with a 1pm start time.
