RNLI volunteers and families face abuse over migrant rescues

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 17 Oct, 08:08 · Archive

RNLI volunteers and their children have been bullied and harassed over the charity's rescues of migrants in the English Channel.

RNLI volunteers and their families have faced sustained abuse over the charity's work rescuing migrants crossing the English Channel. Children of volunteers have been bullied at school by their peers, and volunteers themselves have been confronted while shopping and socialising in public. Images of crew members' faces involved in migrant rescue operations have been shared online alongside calls to identify them, with one post on X urging people to 'get their family'.

One incident saw a lifeboat crew trapped inside its boathouse for two hours during a protest at Eastney harbour led by far-right activists. During the protest, volunteers from other RNLI stations were tasked with ensuring the safety of anti-migrant protesters who entered the sea.

The RNLI responds to small boats when tasked by the coastguard, typically in situations where the boats are in distress and require specialist rescue skills. However, such callouts constitute only 1.7 per cent of the charity's total work. In 2025, whilst 41,472 people crossed the Channel, only 2,353, or 5.7 per cent, were rescued by the RNLI. Peter Sparkes, the charity's chief executive, said there had been 'deliberate misinformation and a misunderstanding' about how the RNLI responded in the Channel.

How it is being reported

• Children of RNLI volunteers bullied over charity's migrant rescues in English ChannelRNLI crews have faced years of abuse for the charity's role in rescuing migrants crossing the Channel.Daily Express · 17 Oct, 07:59
• RNLI volunteers and their children targeted over charity's migrant rescuesCrews have faced abuse for several years for rescuing migrants in the Channel, but callouts of this nature constitute only 1.7 per cent of the charity's totalThe Mirror · 17 Oct, 07:33

In this story: RNLI · English Channel · Portsmouth · Eastney harbour · Peter Sparkes · Daniel Thomas

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