Abseiling Briton held in new 'Free Tibet' protest

A British activist was today detained after unfurling a Free Tibet banner close to the Beijing Olympics site in a protest over China's human rights abuses.

Philip Kirk was one of five staging the demonstration outside the country's state-owned television station headquarters this morning.

The 23-year-old from St Albans, Hertfordshire, abseiled down the station's building to drape a 373 sqft banner displaying the message Free Tibet in Chinese and English over an Olympic billboard.

The group also hung up four Tibetan flags before being detained.

All five are expected to be deported today.

It was the second Beijing protest to lead to the detention of a Briton since the Games began. Last week Lucy Fairbrother, 23, from London, and Iain Thom, 24, from Edinburgh, were deported after unfurling a 140 sqft banner reading One World, One Dream, Free Tibet outside the city's Bird's Nest stadium.

Mr Kirk, a member of Students for a Free Tibet, was arrested with a Canadian and three Americans.