A MAN WHO climbed onto the clock tower of London’s Big Ben to stage a demonstration in support of Palestine has been charged, the Metropolitan Police said. 

Daniel Day, of Palmerston Road, Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex, has been charged with intentionally or recklessly causing a public nuisance and trespassing on a protected site.

The 29-year-old is accused of scaling Elizabeth Tower barefoot at around 7.20am on Saturday, and came down just after midnight on Sunday.

He was remanded in custody to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court today. 

Day spent more than 16 hours barefoot and holding a Palestine flag while perched on the clock tower of Big Ben, before being lifted to the ground in a cherry picker.

Emergency services, including police, fire, and ambulance crews, responded, leading to road closures around Westminster. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

In a video posted on Instagram on Saturday evening, the man told negotiators from the ledge he was sitting on that he would come down “on his own terms”.

In the footage, negotiators on an aerial ladder platform appear to raise concerns about an injury to his foot, saying there is “quite a lot of blood” and that his clothes were not warm enough as temperatures dropped after sunset.

But he insisted he was safe, saying: “I will come down on my own terms, I have said this. But right now I am saying I am safe.

“If you come towards me you are putting me in danger and I will climb higher.”

In the afternoon, shouts of “Free Palestine” and “You are a hero” could be heard from a small group of supporters behind the police cordon at Victoria Embankment.

Videos posted to social media on Saturday allegedly showed the man climbing over a security fence near the Houses of Parliament without being approached by security forces.

Every day in Parliament I see dozens of armed police officers patrolling Portcullis House and the Parliamentary estate. Where were they today?

On Monday there needs to be a full explanation to MPs and staff as to how this protestor was able to evade security so easily. pic.twitter.com/DUlDyMG032

— Ben Obese-Jecty MP (@BenObeseJecty) March 8, 2025

In a post on X, Conservative MP Ben Obese-Jecty called for an explanation about how Day allegedly accessed the parliamentary estate.

He said: “Every day in Parliament I see dozens of armed police officers patrolling Portcullis House and the parliamentary estate. Where were they today?

“On Monday there needs to be a full explanation to MPs and staff as to how this protester was able to evade security so easily.”

Parliamentary tours were cancelled in the wake of the incident.

With reporting from Press Association

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