The stereotype of Chinese people is that we keep our heads down, steer clear of authority and are quietly successful. This stereotype has some truth to it. However, for me, the urgency of climate change and its impact on the country I come from (Malaysia), has created an unshakable sense of duty to act.

Many people of colour feel more vulnerability since the country voted for Brexit, which makes the idea of arrest much more daunting for us than before. So as well as carrying a ‘bust card’ with phone numbers of solicitors, I also took along photos of my citizenship, and my passport to prove that I am British. The officer who arrested me did it by the book, and with respect.

Our ancestral lands and our relatives still living there are already suffering the impacts of climate change whether through searing heat waves, rising sea levels or repeated hurricanes. For me, the urgency of climate change and its impact on the country I come from (Malaysia) has created an unshakable sense of duty which overshadows my core reticence to take action.

by YEN CHIT CHONG