A 69-year-old ‘dare devil’ has unfurled a Palestinian flag on top of a 650ft crane near the US embassy in London.
The pensioner is refusing to talk to police from his perilous position and has apparently pledged to stay for two days.
His supporters say he has ‘no hard hat’ and ‘no safety net’ and is ‘defying death’ to fly the flag for Palestine.
Roads around the building site in Nine Elms, where a £1billion project to build luxury skyscrapers is under way, have been closed off as a precaution.
The Met said this morning that they were first alerted to the man’s presence on top of the crane at 4am but officers have been unable to make contact with him.
A statement said: ‘Officers attended and remain at the scene. London Fire Brigade and London Ambulance Service have been made aware of the ongoing incident.
‘Our priority is the man’s safety and officers are attempting to speak to him. As yet, he has not engaged with any of the officers on the ground.
‘A number of road closures are in place and drivers are urged to find an alternative route.’
The site is near the huge new $1billion US embassy which was built overlooking the River Thames and opened in 2018.
Nine Elms has been the focal point of extensive redevelopment over the last decade with major projects being constructed around the old Battersea Power Station site.
One Nine Elms, the site where the crane is located, will eventually house a 650ft skyscraper, about as big as The Gherkin building in the city.
It will include 494 residential apartments and a Park Hyatt luxury hotel and is expected to be finished by 2022.
Tweeting about the protest, Palestinian activist Sarah Wilkinson said: ‘Happening now: no hard hat, no safety net, death-defying 69 year-old scales crane to #FlyTheFlag for Palestine over London Vauxhall Bridge.’
She later added: ‘No rescue team dares retrieve 69 year-old activist who still occupies London SW8 5NQ crane in a daredevil act of solidarity for Palestine.’
Meanwhile, journalist Robert Carter shared footage the man had filmed while scaling the crane.
He can be heard giving a tour of his surroundings and said he had ‘used a load of his water’ in the effort to get up to the top.
The man’s solo protest comes two days after thousands of people marched through central London as part of a pro-Palestinian demonstrations timed to coincide with the G7 summit in Cornwall.
Last month, Israel bombarded the Gaza strip with air strikes for 11 days as tensions flared yet again in the troubled region.
At least 253 Palestinians died in the latest fighting, including 66 children.
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