Man descends Big Ben tower after climbing with Palestinian flag

Traffic around the Palace of Westminster in London came to a standstill for much of Saturday as emergency crews tried to reach a man who climbed the Big Ben tower holding a Palestinian flag.

Negotiators were lifted up on a fire brigade ladder platform several times before eventually talking him down. The barefoot man, who appeared to be staging a protest on a ledge several meters (yards) up Elizabeth Tower, which houses Big Ben, stepped off the building and onto a cherry picker after a long conversation with negotiators. He got into a waiting ambulance.

Officials said tours of the Houses of Parliament were canceled because of the incident.

Westminster Bridge and a nearby street were closed for much of the day and several emergency services vehicles were at the scene as crowds looked on. Police also blocked off all pedestrian access to Parliament Square.

The Metropolitan Police said earlier that officers received reports about the man around 7 a.m. Saturday and were “working to bring the incident to a safe conclusion" alongside firefighters and ambulance services.

A small group of supporters shouted “Free Palestine” from behind a police cordon nearby.