A group of militant pro-Palestine protestors ‘rallied’ outside a London police station this afternoon in protest over the barefoot Big Ben scaler who was arrested.
In encrypted messages seen exclusively by MailOnline, the demonstration was orchestrated by the campaign group Youth Demand outside Charing Cross Police Station in support of the protester who climbed and sat on the 96-metre-high landmark for more than 16 hours.
The barefoot man, known as Dan, sparked a major emergency response when he climbed part of the structure while waving a Palestine flag.
Youth Demand have scurried to the police station to protest his arrest.
The Metropolitan Police’s Westminster team said the man was arrested after he was brought to the ground.
The protesters chanted, ‘Let him go’, in reference to Dan.
A young woman wrapped in a Palestine flag told MailOnline: ‘I’m here because of Dan being arrested to protest the ongoing genocide and human rights violations taking place in Gaza.’
The protestors wrapped in Palestine flags and kefirs called for the Metropolitan Police to ‘choose a side’.
A group of militant pro-Palestine protestors ‘rallied’ outside a London police station this afternoon in protest over the barefoot Big Ben scaler who was arrested
In encrypted messages seen exclusively by MailOnline, the demonstration was orchestrated by the campaign group Youth Demand in support of the protester who climbed and sat on the 96-metre-high landmark for more than 16 hours
They banged drums and shook tambourines as they repetitively chanted.
At one point, some protestors got in a brawl with a group of men who called the demonstrators ‘terrorists.’
The two groups squared up to each other spitting and shouting but eventually dispersed.
Another man furious with the protest was seen getting aggressive with the police and was arrested.
He was seen seriously resisting arrest, while multiple officers had to get involved, and even use pepper spray to tame the angry civilian.
There were around 20 police officers at the scene with two stood outside the station and a few officers were dispersed in the area.
They were heard blaring the chant: ‘Free, free Palestine. From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free
‘Five, six, seven, eight, Israel is a terrorist state.’
The barefoot man, known as Dan, sparked a major emergency response when he climbed part of the structure while waving a Palestine flag
The Metropolitan Police’s Westminster team said the man was arrested after he was brought to the ground
Rescuers used a cherry-picker to reach the individual, who had been perched on the stone ledge of the tower
The dramatic scene prompted the closure of Westminster Bridge, a key London route, as firefighters from four stations, along with police and ambulance services, rushed to the scene throughout the day
They added: ‘All the crimes in your name Met Police, shame, shame.’
Footage from the Big Ben scaler showed rescuers using a cherry-picker to reach the individual, who had been perched on a stone ledge several metres up the tower.
As he was lowered in the early hours of this morning, the protester waved a Palestinian flag to cheers from the crowd gathered below.
At around 7.24am, he live-streamed his act of defiance, removing his shoes and smearing his bloodied feet across the tower’s stone.
In the video posted to Instagram, the protester defiantly declared, ‘I’m not going anywhere,’ while chanting, ‘Free, free Palestine.’
The dramatic scene prompted the closure of Westminster Bridge, a key London route, as firefighters from four stations, along with police and ambulance services, rushed to the scene throughout the day.
As negotiations unfolded, the protester told officials he would only come down ‘on his own terms’.
Hundreds of pro-Palestinian supporters gathered nearby, waving Palestinian flags and chanting messages of support, including loud shouts of, ‘We love you!’, directed at the man perched on the landmark.
It is understood that the protester climbed the Elizabeth Tower at the Houses of Parliament at around 7.24am yesterday and was brought down more than 16 hours later, as Big Ben chimed midnight.
Parliament tours were brought to a screeching halt yesterday amid the chaos.
A Parliamentary spokesperson said yesterday: ‘We are aware of an incident on the Parliamentary Estate this morning, which is being handled by the Metropolitan Police, assisted by the London Fire Brigade and the London Ambulance Service.
‘Parliament takes security extremely seriously, however 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 unfortunately had to be cancelled’.
Westminster Bridge and Bridge Street were closed, as was Westminster Underground Station, with passengers advised to use other exits – though the Tube service itself was not disrupted.
Video published online yesterday showed the man urging firefighters not to come and rescue him from the building, as he refused to come down, despite their efforts.
When responders tried to persuade him to come down, he shouted: ‘I’m going higher, if you come closer’.
‘At some point you will have to come down,’ a firefighter tells him in one clip: ‘How long do you think you are going to be there?’
Luke Whelan, who witnessed the incident on his way to work yesterday, told MailOnline: ‘I was cycling to work when I noticed him climbing up Big Ben.
‘He looked like he was live streaming himself or on a video call or something. I assumed he was a free-runner influencer as he seemed very relaxed up there.’
Blood pouring from the protester’s injured feet could be seen, smeared on parts of the tower.
A Met Police spokesperson said: ‘At 07:24hrs on Saturday, 8 March 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.
‘Bridge Street, which is at the north end of Westminster Bridge, is closed to allow the emergency services to deal with the incident.’
A London Fire Brigade spokesperson said: ‘Firefighters are responding alongside the Metropolitan Police Service to reports of a person climbing part of the Palace of Westminster.
‘The Brigade was first called about the incident 0732, and firefighters from Lambeth, Chelsea, Soho and Islington fire stations are at the scene.’
A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said: ‘We were called at 7.30am today (Saturday 8 March) to reports of an incident in New Palace Yard, SW1A.
‘We have sent resources to the scene, including an ambulance crew, an incident response officer and members of our hazardous area response team (HART).
‘The incident is ongoing and we are working with our emergency services partners.’
It comes after MailOnline revealed in an undercover probe that Youth Demand is planning to target the British Museum and other London landmarks as part of a major new plot to ‘shut down’ the city for an entire month.
The pro-Palestine and eco-activist group have said that ‘hundreds and hundreds’ of people will descend on England’s capital and ‘block’ roads and junctions every single day for the entirety of April.
They hope to overwhelm the justice system by clogging the courts and costing the police ‘millions of pounds’ in shifts.
Youth Demand is planning to target the British Museum and other London landmarks as part of a major new plot to ‘shut down’ the city for an entire month.
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