Parkour’s definitely fun. It’s a sport where you get really high in the most exciting way possible—well… high-up buildings. It’s a sport that gives thrill-seekers the adrenaline they need and vertigo patients a nightmare. This art of movement falls within the intersection of human ingenuity and athleticism. It turns the city landscape into one’s own personal playground and gives people an opportunity to defy gravity. Parkour is more than a sport; it’s a lifestyle. And few take this lifestyle more seriously than YouTuber Ally Law, who nearly got banned from an entire continent after some gravity-defying action.
In an interview this week, the urban explorer discussed how his stunts while scaling the tallest building in Paris landed him in hot water with the authorities. He goes into great detail – from their plan of action to being intercepted by authorities near the building’s spire.
How Law Climbed the Tour First Tower
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Earlier this week, Ally Law made an appearance on the Eventful Lives Podcast. In his interview with Dodge Woodall, the British parkour practitioner explained his parkour journey, including all the highs and lows of his career. Law, who has accrued nearly 3.5 million YouTube subscribers as of today, had initially begun climbing buildings to combat his fear of heights. However, it soon developed into a passion bigger than anyone could have anticipated.
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Soon enough, he and his friends made plans to scale Paris’ 52-story Tour First tower. Law’s friends had snuck past security while the guards were being distracted by another plated group. While Law’s initial plan was to sleep on the roof of the building, fate had other plans in mind. The plans were eventually thwarted when they heard police sirens approaching.
“We heard sirens in the distance, which is common if you’re up high — you usually hear sirens,” Law said. “But then it was getting closer, and closer, and closer.” Eventually, Law and his group were intercepted by MP-5-wielding law enforcement officials, who broke open a fire hatch with a powerful spotlight. Just like that, Law and group were detained.
Locked up for Parkour
The parkour guru said he was kept in a holding cell for 24 hours. Later, through his lawyer’s translations, Law found that the authorities had considered banning him from the entire Schengen Area – 27 European countries. Meanwhile, his friends were initially set to attend a court hearing. However, they were released after they signed paperwork promising they’d never climb buildings in France again.
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When things went back to normal, Law posted the video of his climb to the spire of the French building. This video took off almost instantly, now with around 5.4 million views on YouTube. The video played a big part in launching Law’s YouTube career. “I don’t know how we got off with it,” Law admitted. “It was serious.”
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