A protester dressed as Santa Claus has been noticed climbing up the Christmas tree in Trafalgar Sq..
Marketing campaign group Fathers4Justice claimed that one in every of its ‘supporters’ was chargeable for the stunt which came about simply after 9.30am in central London on Sunday morning.
The protester, carrying Santa’s pink and white costume with a hat on, could possibly be seen scaling the large Christmas tree and brandishing a poster with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s face on the entrance.
Perching on one of many tree’s branches, he held out the poster of Sir Keir which stated: ‘Put the daddy again into Xmas.’
The protester, named as Chris Todd by Fathers4Justice, staged the dramatic protest on the Norwegian spruce at round 9.35am and stays there on the time of writing.
Fathers4Justice, an organisation that usually makes use of stunts to battle for adjustments in laws on fathers’ rights, stated that Mr Todd scaled the tree after ‘being denied entry to his daughter since August 2024 – regardless of there being a courtroom order’.
They claimed that the 35-year-old, who additionally held up a photograph of him and his daughter, will probably be staying up the tree till Christmas Day.
A spokesman for the Met Police informed MailOnline: ‘At roughly 09:35hrs on Sunday, 15 December police have been knowledgeable {that a} man had climbed up a Christmas tree in Trafalgar Sq., WC2.
A person dressed as Santa Claus has been pictured climbing up the Christmas tree in Trafalgar Sq.
Cops are seen surrounding the Christmas tree because the protester scales it on Sunday morning
The protester, wearing a Santa Claus outfit, was noticed scaling the large Christmas tree and holding up a poster with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s face on the entrance
‘He stays up the tree and officers are on scene monitoring the scenario.’
LBC stories that the protester could possibly be heard shouting ‘Keir Starmer has blood on his fingers’.
In different footage, two law enforcement officials could be seen attempting to get the protester to return down from the tree.
The Trafalgar Sq. Christmas tree, arguably the capital’s most well-known festive sight, has been delivered as an annual present from Norway yearly since 1947. It was lit up on December 5 this yr.
The tree, which is surrounded by the Trafalgar Sq. Christmas markets, will keep up till January 6.
It has fencing round it, which the protester would have needed to climb over to get into the tree.
This yr’s tree has been ridiculed on-line, with some describing it as ‘scrawny’ and ‘half-dead’ in comparison with its Rockefeller rival in New York.
The Norwegian spruce from Grefsenkleiva, in Oslo’s Forest, is adorned in conventional Norwegian trend with strings and lights. Additionally it is roughly 20 metres excessive and is round 60 years previous.
However this yr, social media customers have mocked its look, with one writing: ‘By the look of that tree in Trafalgar Sq., you’d suppose London was attempting to get rid of Christmas. That is actually dangerous.’
London’s well-known Trafalgar Sq. Christmas tree has been branded ‘scrawny’ this yr
Locals described the tree as ‘reasonably unwell wanting’ and ‘so unhappy’ as they claimed they might see useless wooden in pictures posted of it being put up
One other posted: ‘I didn’t wish to be destructive however our wonky corn on the cob is a tad underwhelming.’
Fathers4Justice protesters usually perform stunts wearing costumes to make their calls for.
The marketing campaign group was based by Matt O’Connor in 2001 after he was denied entry to his two kids, Daniel and Alexander, following his divorce.
Prior to now, protesters have scaled the Homes of Parliament and chained themselves to statues.
Some 20 years in the past, 4 protesters dressed as Santa Claus closed the Second Severn Crossing with one in every of their stunts.
