RNLI Chief Condemns Abuse of Volunteers After 140 Migrants Landed in Portsmouth
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Sep 8
RNLI Chief Condemns Abuse of Volunteers After 140 Migrants Landed in Portsmouth
3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Sep 8
Summary
RNLI chief Peter Sparkes said volunteers and staff have faced online abuse and, in some cases, physical intimidation since weekend anti-migrant protests over Channel rescues.
140 people were brought ashore at Portsmouth's Eastney ferry port with RNLI assistance on Sunday after demonstrators blocked roads; Sparkes said misinformation about the charity's role had fueled the backlash.
Lisa Nandy told Parliament she had raised reports of doxxing with tech firms after names, addresses and photos of RNLI staff and volunteers were allegedly shared online.
109 of the RNLI's 9,058 lifeboat launches in 2025 involved people in distress in the Channel—1.2% of its rescue work—while Sparkes said nearly 95% of small boats are intercepted by Border Force.
The row follows a separate Dover protest that halted the port a day earlier, underscoring how illegal migration is spilling into hostility toward a charity whose crews are tasked with preventing drownings.