RNLI removes branding from clothing for volunteers
The RNLI has been accused by prominent politicians of acting as a “taxi service”, and some volunteers have faced abuse online.
The RNLI has advised volunteers to consider taking off their badges in public to avoid being targeted by activists opposing the organisation’s role in rescuing migrants on a mega-dinghy at the weekend.
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The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) issued the warning after staff rescued 120 migrants who had crossed from Normandy on Sunday, prompting public backlash from anti-migrant protestors.
Roads were blocked by hundreds of protestors to prevent the migrants from being transferred to Dover for processing.
The RNLI has been accused by prominent politicians of acting as a “taxi service”, and some volunteers have faced abuse online.
Peter Sparkes, the chief executive of RNLI, told volunteers that “in the current climate” the organisation had determined that it was “prudent” to assess its security procedures to ensure volunteers were safe regardless of their role.
Read more: RNLI reviews security after volunteers' personal details leaked online
Volunteers have been advised to avoid wearing badges or clothing with RNLI logos on in public.
They have also been encouraged to challenge anyone not wearing ID at a lifeboat station, as well as consider removing themselves from interactions with members of the public if they feel uncomfortable.
RNLI staff have been told by chiefs that they can close lifeboat stations if they feel it is unsafe for them to keep them open.
Since the mega-dinghy was rescued on the weekend, the RNLI has faced political backlash, including from Reform UK’s Suella Braverman.
Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, the charity’s vice-president, accused Braverman of “missing the point” after she urged every British port to refuse what she branded the “RNLI taxi service entry”.
Mr Sparkes maintained that volunteers worked to save lives at sea irrespective of who they were, and added that any abuse of them was “wholly unacceptable in a civilised society”.
Mr Sparkes has revealed that the RNLI’s participation in Sunday’s rescue had been requested by HM Coastguard.
In a message to volunteers, he said: “This was the first time we have been involved in a Channel crossing incident of this magnitude this far west.”
The migrant boat was initially intended to be brought back to Portsmouth by lifeboats from Bembridge and Yarmouth stations, but crews from four more stations later joined the rescue as “large numbers of protesters were in and near the water in Portsmouth”.
The RNLI has said it worked to ensure the safety of anti-migrant protesters in the sea by Portsmouth.
Only two per cent of migrants are rescued by the RNLI, and the majority are intercepted and brought to UK shores by Border Force.
The RNLI is called only when the coastguard contacts them to ask for help, if there is a risk to life or if Border Force vessels are overwhelmed by numbers.