RNLI in Portsmouth suspends service after volunteer abuse
The charity says search and rescue cover continues to be provided through established contingency arrangements
The RNLI says it is reviewing crew safety and wellbeing after pausing its services in Portsmouth - following the of abuse of its volunteers after anti-migrant protests.
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.
The RNLI said the Portsmouth Lifeboat Station has been “temporarily off service” since September 7th.
The south-east head of region for the charity, Jacqui Irons, said: “We have a duty of care to our people, we therefore took the decision to pause activity at the station to review crew safety and wellbeing and to support those involved in the incident on September 6th.
“Search and rescue cover continues to be provided by flank RNLI and independent lifeboat stations, and the most appropriate asset to respond to any incident will be co-ordinated through HM Coastguard as is the case around the rest of the coast.”
She added the charity looks forward to the Portsmouth RNLI “returning to operational service in the near future”.
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 6th 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 9th, when a small anti-migrant gathering was held at the RNLI College in Poole.