Protester dangling from balcony of Trump Tower ‘demands to speak to President’

The man has been dangling from Trump Tower for more than eight hours

A man has been dangling from the 16th floor of a Chicago skyscraper for more than eight hours as he demands to have an audience with US President Donald Trump.

Officers first received reports of a man hanging from Trump International Hotel and Tower by a rope harness at 5.27pm (CST). They stated that the man, who is thought to be in his 20s, had voiced a desire to speak to Trump and threatened suicide if his demands were not met.

A video of the man later streamed live on his Facebook saw him identify as a ‘Black Lives Matter member’ as he showed the camera a knife and stated that he would cut the rope if someone ‘tries to pull on it’.

He went on: ‘I want to talk with Mr Trump before the election. I don’t want to die, if someone tries to pull this rope, I will jump and die. I have a knife, if someone tries to pull it I will cut it and I will probably die.’

He has been hanging from the balcony by a rope harness

The man went on to describe Chicago as one of the world’s ‘most liberal cities’ and said if Trump wanted to promise policies, he should ‘do them before the election’.

He added: ‘Everyone who knows me, they know I’m not crazy. I’m a well-educated guy.’

During the video another voice can be heard trying to communicate with the man from the top of the balcony he is hanging from.

The man identified himself as a member of Black Lives Matter

Emergency services are at the scene and roads have been closed off in the area

Trump is not presently in Chicago, and spent Sunday afternoon speaking at a rally in Carson City, Nevada.

In a statement, Chicago Police Department said they were at the scene with personnel from Chicago Fire Department (CFD) and the Special Weapons And Tactics Unit (SWAT). Traffic has been blocked off around the tower as they deal with the incident.

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source https://metro.co.uk/2020/10/19/protester-dangling-from-balcony-of-trump-tower-demands-to-speak-to-president-13442968/