'French Spiderman' unfurls peace banner in HK
French urban climber Alain Robert, popularly known as the "French Spiderman," secures a banner, showing shaking hands below a depiction of the national flag of China and and regional flag of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, during his ascent of the Cheung Kong Center building in Hong Kong on August 16.
Daredevil Alain Robert — dubbed the "French Spiderman" — climbed a Hong Kong skyscraper on Friday and unfurled a peace banner as the financial hub is rocked by historic political unrest.
The 57-year-old adventurer, who specializes in unsanctioned ascents of tall buildings, shimmied up the 68-story Cheung Kong Center in Hong Kong's main business district in hot and humid conditions on Friday morning.
During the climb he attached a banner featuring the national flag of China and regional flag of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, as well as two hands shaking.
Prior to the ascent Robert put out a statement saying the message of his climb was to make "an urgent appeal for peace and consultation between Hong Kong people and their government."
"Perhaps what I do can lower the temperature and maybe raise a smile. That's my hope anyway," Robert said in his media statement.
Robert has regularly come to Hong Kong to scale buildings in a city that boasts the highest concentration of skyscrapers in the world.
He has climbed the Cheung Kong Center twice before.
Last August he was banned by a Hong Kong court from making any more climbs after he was charged over a 2011 illegal ascent of the 27-floor Hang Seng Bank building.
At the time he vowed to return to Hong Kong as soon as the ban expired.
In January he was arrested after climbing a 47-story tower in Manila.
