London woke up to a spectacle on Saturday when a man decided to turn Big Ben into his personal climbing wall. Daniel Day, 29, from Essex, scaled Elizabeth Tower at the Palace of Westminster, waving a Palestinian flag. The stunt lasted more than 16 hours before he was forcibly removed.
Emergency services got the call at 07:24 GMT, responding to reports of a protester perched on the historic clock tower. Barefoot and determined, Day clung to the stonework while Big Ben continued to chime. As midnight struck, a cherry picker finally brought him back to solid ground—along with a pair of handcuffs.
The Metropolitan Police wasted no time slapping him with charges of public nuisance and trespassing on a protected site. He’s now cooling his heels in custody and is set to appear before Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Monday.
His high-rise protest didn’t just cause a scene—it caused a headache for London’s commuters. Westminster Bridge, part of the Underground station, and Bridge Street were all shut down. Even parliamentary tours were scrapped for the day, much to the dismay of sightseers.
A small crowd of supporters gathered below, chanting “Free Palestine” and hailing him as a hero. But hero or not, the law wasn’t impressed. What started as a political statement ended with a criminal charge and a night in jail.
Five Fast Facts
- Big Ben’s official name isn’t Big Ben—it’s the Elizabeth Tower, while “Big Ben” refers to the great bell inside.
- Climbing London landmarks isn’t new; in 1978, a man scaled Nelson’s Column in Trafalgar Square using suction cups.
- The clock faces of Big Ben are cleaned every five years by a team of abseiling technicians.
- Westminster Bridge, which was closed during the protest, connects two of London’s most famous landmarks: the Palace of Westminster and the London Eye.
- The original Big Ben bell cracked in 1859 and was recast before becoming the world-famous chime heard today.
