RNLI in Portsmouth temporarily suspends service after volunteer abuse
The charity’s volunteers have been targeted for helping migrants at sea, with footage posted on social media showing them described as “traitors”
The RNLI has paused its services in Portsmouth in the wake of abuse of its volunteers after anti-migrant protests.
Listen to this article
The charity’s volunteers have been targeted for helping migrants at sea, with footage posted on social media showing them described as “traitors”, after bringing a dinghy to safety in the Hampshire port city.
An RNLI spokesman said the Portsmouth Lifeboat Station has been “temporarily off service” since September 10.
“We hope to have the lifeboat station back on service as soon as possible.
“Search and rescue cover continues to be provided through established contingency arrangements, including flank RNLI stations and other declared assets."
Read more: I'll wear my RNLI gilet and let the far-right try to stop me, writes Matthew Wright
Read more: RNLI removes branding from clothing for volunteers
The charity has another lifeboat station on Hayling Island and there is another lifeboat station independent of the RNLI in Gosport.
Hundreds of protesters blocked roads overnight on September 6 and vowed to stop migrants from leaving Portsmouth after they arrived in a dinghy across the English Channel.
The boat, reported to be carrying about 140 migrants, is thought to have made one of the longest journeys of any small boat, and landings as far west as Hampshire are rare.
The RNLI later issued security advice warning volunteers and staff not to wear the charity’s branding because of “unacceptable abuse”.
The charity’s chief executive, Peter Sparkes, has said abuse of RNLI volunteers was “wholly unacceptable in a civilised society”.
He said recent protests generated “deliberate misinformation and a misunderstanding about the RNLI – our purpose, our tasking, and particularly our lifesaving work in the Channel”.
Protests have been held at RNLI sites, including on September 9, when a small anti-migrant gathering was held at the RNLI College in Poole, Dorset.