Two Fathers4Justice activists, promoting equal rights for both parents, have climbed on to the roof of Queen’s Gallery at Buckingham Palace, triggering a security alert. The duo was arrested for trespassing and breaching a secured area.
Martin Matthews, 48, and Bobby Smith, 33, sneaked into the estate off Buckingham Palace Road and, using a ladder, climbed on top of the Queen's Gallery, a public art gallery, holding a banner that read “I am Harry’s dad,” a spokesman for the activists said.
It is “easier to climb on the roof of Buckingham Palace than getting to see one’s children these days,” Matthews said, according to the Evening Standard.
There was a third activist, James Dennis from Gloucestershire, who also tried to climb the roof but failed when the police arrived.
“Police were called to a report of a protest taking place at the Queens Gallery at 4:28pm,” a Metropolitan police spokeswoman said, according to BT.com, adding that the Queen was not in residence.
“Officers attended and two males were found to have climbed on to the roof of the entrance at the location. Officers are currently speaking with the people concerned.”
The standoff ended at around 11:00pm when the trespassers agreed to come down and were arrested for breaching a secured area.
This is not the first time one of the trespassers, Bobby Smith, has gone rooftopping. He previously climbed Westminster Abbey on Father’s Day.
The Fathers4Justice activist group has recently launched a campaign, known as Stop The War On Dads. They are urging people to pay attention to single dads’ problems and demanding equal rights for both parents as well as the reforms of family courts.