A man with a Palestinian flag climbs London’s Big Ben and is surrounded by emergency services

LONDON (AP) — Roads around the Palace of Westminster in London were closed on Saturday as emergency services tried to reach a man who climbed the Big Ben tower holding a Palestinian flag.

Photos show the barefoot man, who appeared to be staging a protest, standing on a ledge several meters (yards) up Elizabeth Tower, which houses Big Ben.

Officials said tours of the Houses of Parliament were canceled because of the incident.

Westminster Bridge and a nearby street were closed for much of Saturday and several emergency services vehicles were at the scene as crowds looked on from behind a police cordon.

The Metropolitan Police said officers were “working to bring the incident to a safe conclusion,” alongside firefighters and ambulance services. Police said it received reports about the man around 7 a.m. Saturday. The intruder was still high up the tower Saturday afternoon.

Three emergency workers were lifted up on a fire brigade ladder platform and were seen using a megaphone to speak to the man on the ledge.

No other details were immediately available.