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Extinction Rebellion protester in Boris Johnson wig climbs up base of Big Ben

Written by on 18/10/2019

An Extinction Rebellion demonstrator dressed up as Boris Johnson has climbed up the scaffolding around the base of Big Ben.

The man, named by the environmental protest group as 43-year-old tree surgeon Ben Atkinson, clambered up wearing a costume and blonde wig mimicking the prime minister.

He was said to have carried out a “free solo climb” of the Queen Elizabeth Tower to “highlight government inaction on the climate and ecological emergency”.

Crowds gathered below to watch the dangerous stunt, with Mr Atkinson having unfurled a rainbow-coloured flag adorned with the Extinction Rebellion logo and the words: “No pride on a dead planet.”

Another sign draped from the tower reads: “Citizens Assembly.”

One of the many demands the group has made is for the government to create a citizens assembly “on climate and ecological justice”, which it says politicians should be led by when it comes to environmental issues.

It has said members would be randomly selected from across the country, similar to jury service, to discuss and make recommendations on how to respond to the climate emergency.

Mr Atkinson has been waving to people on the ground, who have cheered him on.

A parliament spokesman told Sky News: “We are aware of a trespasser on the Elizabeth Tower which is being dealt with by the Metropolitan Police and the Parliamentary Security Department.”

Writing on Facebook after scaling the scaffolding, Mr Atkinson said: “We got the declaration of climate emergency last time. Now perhaps, please Boris, you’re struggling to navigate Brexit let alone work our way out of the sixth mass extinction event. Please. Pretty please…. let’s get on with the citizens assembly. Thank’s Boris.”

He added: “I know somewhere in there you have compassionate feelings towards something other then your career.

“You’ve got Premiership. Now you’ve got a chance to do something that could last for centuries. A legacy of being the man that turned it all around. Dare you. Oh, and thanks Greta. I heard you calling.”

His post included a shout-out to Greta Thunberg, the teen climate activist who inspired millions of people around the world to take part in a global climate strike last month.

Metropolitan Police have closed the entrance to Westminster Tube station and remain at the scene of the stunt, which comes on the penultimate day of a fortnight of protests across London.

Officers have arrested more than 1,750 people so far and more are likely before the demonstrations come to a conclusion over the weekend.

Activists have spent Friday bringing traffic to a standstill at Oxford Circus in the West End, and hundreds have marched through Westminster in defiance of a police ban enforced earlier this week.

Frustrations boiled over on Thursday after a controversial stunt on the London Underground, when angry commuters confronted protesters who climbed on top of trains at Canning Town station.

Extinction Rebellion apologised for the disruption caused but said the incident should not create “unnecessary division” and have continued their protests in other parts of the capital.

Steve Coogan has become the latest celebrity to support the cause, taking part in the walk to Whitehall on Friday.

He said: “I wanted to lend my voice to the cause. Maybe people who like what I have done and who might not be completely sold on Extinction Rebellion might give it a second chance.

“It’s an important movement. Some people try to characterise it as a fringe movement, but it’s not. I like the fact that it was started by young people, but now older people have joined in too.

“Climate change feels like just another issue on the agenda that people are reluctant to pay attention to.”

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(c) Sky News 2019: Extinction Rebellion protester in Boris Johnson wig climbs up base of Big Ben