Extinction Rebellion protester dressed as Boris Johnson scales Big Ben scaffolding and demands to speak to PM

Patrick Grafton-Green18 October 2019

An Extinction Rebellion protester dressed as Boris Johnson climbed the scaffolding around Big Ben and demanded to speak to the Prime Minister.

The man, wearing a blonde wig, shirt, tie and jacket, climbed the iconic tower near the Houses of Parliament before unfurling two banners, one featuring an LGBT rainbow and reading "no pride on a dead planet", the other saying "Citizen's Assembly."

He began his climb at about 3.30pm and remained on the scaffolding until shortly before 7pm, when he was arrested and taken away in a police van.

XR said he was 42-year-old tree surgeon Ben Atkinson. Mr Atkinson was attempting a "free solo climb" to "highlight Government inaction on the climate and ecological emergency", the group said.

Extinction Rebellion London Protests: October 2019 - In pictures

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In a statement on his behalf, fellow protester Katherine Beaumont said earlier: "Come up here Boris. I would love a friendly and peaceful chat with you. Wig to wig."

She claimed Mr Atkinson was happy to stay up the building all night if his demand to speak to Mr Johnson was not met.

As he scaled the building on Friday afternoon, one witness described the scenes as "terrifying to watch", while another said police were "screaming at him to come down".

Onlookers said officers used a lift that is part of the scaffolding to reach Mr Atkinson and could be seen speaking to him as he sat in netting. He later appeared to move inside the structure.

After his arrest, the Met Police said in a statement: "At approximately 6.45pm the man, aged in his 40s, was arrested under Section 128 of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 - trespass on a protected site. He has been taken into custody."

As the incident unfolded, police closed the entrance to Westminster Tube station across the road from Big Ben and asked people to leave the area directly in front of where the climber was.

Shortly before scaling the building, Mr Atkinson posted a photo of himself on social media in his blonde wig and swimming goggles, adding: "Ready steady breathe deep... go."

It is the latest in a string of stunts staged by Extinction Rebellion on the penultimate day of their autumn uprising - despite being barred from protesting in the capital since Monday by the Met Police.

Earlier the group performed a "red handed" march, where they sprayed hand prints using chalk-based spray paint around Whitehall.

One protester was filmed lashing out at an angry commuter who had pulled him off the roof of a train.

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