Arrested Eiffel Tower climber has very British response to 32C heat
The man was stopped as he scaled the iconic monument without a shirt, ropes, gloves, or a harness
The Briton was on his way to the second floor of the iconic monument, near the Olympic rings, when he was arrested
Hethers / Shutterstock / @tweet4Anna_NAFO / Anna Komsa / X.com
A British man has been arrested and risks one year in jail after allegedly climbing the Eiffel Tower in Paris in 32C heat, prompting him to remark: “Bloody warm, innit?”.
The man, aged 33, is accused of scaling the famous monument on Sunday, August 11, reaching higher than the Olympic rings that are still displayed on it in honour of the Paris 2024 Games. He was clearly visible above the Olympic beach volleyball court.
He began climbing at around 14:30 and was heading towards the second floor when he was stopped, arrested, and handcuffed by specialist climbing police at around 14:45. The site was closed during the operation, but reopened at 15:30.
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The accused is a professional climber, and was scaling the iron structure without a rope, harness, or any specialist climbing equipment.
After his arrest, he looked straight into a camera of a watching witness, and said: “Bloody warm, innit?”. Temperatures were well over 30C at the time.
Read also: Paris Olympics: heatwave in France could put athletes at serious risk
In a statement, the public prosecutor of the 7th arrondissement said: “The arrested man is British and a professional climber, and he is cooperating with authorities.”
He was taken in for questioning on Sunday evening in connection with the charge of “endangering the lives of others”. This offence risks a jail sentence of up to a year, and a fine of up to €15,000.
Paris precedent
This is not the first time that a Briton has attempted to scale the Eiffel Tower; in 2015, a man named James Kingston and a friend climbed the side of the tower and hid for several hours to avoid security. The pair had also previously climbed Wembley Stadium and the Princess Tower in Dubai.
The two were arrested upon climbing down from the Eiffel Tower, and only released after six hours in police custody. Mr Kingston - from Hampshire - then promised he would not try to climb the tower again for at least three years.
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The latest stunt on Sunday came on the last day of the Olympics, just a few hours before the Closing Ceremony at the Stade de France, which began at 21:00.
The Paralympics are now set to pick up the torch - literally - from August 28.
