Bath Tub 16: Thoughts from a Cell

I am Maddie, a 22 year old theater maker who also volunteers for a human rights charity, RAPAR, that works with displaced people.

Before April, I had never had any contact with the police. Since then I have been arrested twice, once in London at Marble Arch, and again here in Bristol. I find it really scary – the hours spent in a small cell. In Bristol I was held for 24 hours. The experience is terrifying, but it is sadly one that I fear I will have to repeat.

When I was in my cell, and found myself getting panicky, I asked for a pen and paper and I wrote this… the reasons that I’m here…

I am in this cell because I would like to, one-day, have children. And for those children to be safe, to have sufficient food, to breathe clean air and to live without conflict.

I am in this cell because the deepening climate crisis will displace millions of people fleeing unimaginable trauma. Even today, people seeking asylum are too often left homeless and without state support. This situation will only get worse.

I am in this cell because our government knows this is going to happen but is failing to act. They have signed the Paris Agreement and they have approved the IPCC reports, but they continue to pump money into ecocidal industries.

I am in this cell because how scared I am about being arrested is nothing compared to how scared I feel when I think of our shared future.