A man who climbed the clock tower at King's Cross station in London, holding what appeared to be a pomeranian dog, has been arrested after a nearly four-hour standoff. The protester unfurled a banner calling for freedom for Iran before being brought down by emergency services.
The man, who was standing in front of the clock face on the 34-metre tower since rush hour on Tuesday morning, packed away his banner as rain began to pour. He spoke with mediators and was safely removed using a turntable ladder at 11:50am.
British Transport Police were called to the station at around 8am following reports of a person in a precarious position. The man was arrested on suspicion of causing a public nuisance. An ambulance crew, incident response officer, and paramedics from the hazardous area response team were also present.
The front of the station was closed to passengers while Network Rail isolated the area beneath the protester. Train services were unaffected, but exits from platforms 1-8 were closed. Main entrances remained open.
The banner, written in Farsi and English, stated: 'Iran belongs to its people. Freedom for Iran. Every deal with them against human rights. Dictators exert terror and poverty.' It featured the logo of the Freedom Movement of Iran, a pro-democracy party outlawed by the current Iranian government.
The man was seen making video calls and taking selfies while wearing a T-shirt with a 'no to war' slogan. The London Fire Brigade assisted British Transport Police with two fire engines and about 10 firefighters.
