London Protester Climbs Crane and Unfurls Palestinian Flag

A protester and former humanitarian worker scaled a crane in London, England, on June 15 and unfurled the Palestinian flag, footage shared with Storyful showed.

In an interview with Storyful, 69-year-old Nick Georges said he had been planning the stunt for two months, and was further spurred to act by the exchange of fire between Israel and Gaza in May.

Georges said that in 2018, “I was sent out to Palestine for three months as a humanitarian witness …. On a daily basis, I witnessed the horrors and the atrocities of the illegal Israeli occupation of the Palestinian homeland …. As a Christian, I can’t just let that go. I have to do something about it.”

He added that the idea to climb a crane began approximately “two months ago” after a protest in Brighton, England. He previously worked on cranes, but hadn’t “been near a crane for over 25 years now.”

This footage, filmed by Georges, shows him looking over London. The Palestinian flag can be seen hanging from the crane. He said it took two hours to climb the crane, and he was planning to stay on it for “at least” the night of June 15.

A Metropolitan Police spokesperson told Storyful: “Police were called at 3:55 on Tuesday, June 15, after a man climbed to the top of a crane at a building site on Nine Elms Lane, SW8. 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.” Credit: Nick Georges via Storyful