The Royal National Lifeboat Institution temporarily closed its Portsmouth lifeboat station following anti-migrant protests in Eastney that erupted after volunteers brought 120 people ashore from a cross-Channel dinghy. Police launched an investigation into online harassment, while Digital Secretary Lisa Nandy held direct talks with social media platforms to accelerate the removal of threat-inducing content and strengthen protections for frontline volunteers.
Portsmouth Standoff and the Temporary Station Closure
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution suspended operations at its Portsmouth station in Eastney following a weekend of demonstrations that drew hundreds of protesters to the city’s coast. The tensions began on Sunday when two charity lifeboats brought 120 individuals ashore after rescuing them from a single dinghy crossing the English Channel from France.
According to detailed accounts from the ground, the rescue boats were refused permission to dock at both Southampton Port and Portsmouth Harbour, with crews warned that entering either area could result in criminal prosecution. The migrants ultimately landed at Eastney, sparking a tense confrontation between approximately 500 demonstrators and emergency services. Protestors blocked local roads to prevent authorities from moving the arrivals to an immigration processing centre in Kent. Around 200 protesters tried to block migrants being driven away for processing in Portsmouth on Sunday.
From Instagram — related to rnli temporarily closes portsmouth, RNLI Portsmouth protests
A spokesperson for the charity confirmed that the Portsmouth Lifeboat Station has been temporarily off service since September 10. The station in Eastney has now been closed since 10 September and Eastney RNLI have also taken down their Facebook page. In his email, Sparkes said lifeboat crews from Cowes, Hayling Island, Portsmouth and Selsey in West Sussex were tasked to assist with the casualties. He added that they were there to also stand by for safety reasons while large numbers of protesters were in and near the water. Search and rescue cover for the area is currently maintained through established contingency arrangements relying on flank stations and other declared assets.
Digital Harassment, Doxxing, and Police Investigations
The physical protests quickly spilled over into targeted digital harassment. Sussex Police launched an investigation after volunteers were branded traitors online, with at least two rescue workers having their photos, full names, and home addresses leaked across social media platforms. Sussex Police confirmed that officers are reviewing abusive social media content directed at volunteers, who were part of a lifeboat operation bringing 120 people to safety after they were rescued from a single dinghy that had crossed the English Channel from France.
RNLI tells staff to avoid branded clothing over abuse from anti-migrant protesters
“The RNLI exists to save lives at sea, and any disruption to that mission could have serious consequences for those in need of urgent assistance. We would advise anyone considering carrying out any action that could hinder the RNLI’s vital lifesaving work to carefully consider the implications.”
The fallout extended beyond Portsmouth. The Poole Old Lifeboat Museum was forced to shut its doors after several incidents of anti-migrant protesters verbally assaulting volunteers in and around the facility. A lifeboat museum has been forced to close after anti-migrant protesters ‘verbally assaulted’ its volunteers. Poole Old Lifeboat Museum said it will remain shut while protests continue about the RNLI being used as a ‘taxi service’ for small boat crossings. Around 60 protesters gathered outside the RNLI’s headquarters near the museum on Wednesday night to voice their concerns that more migrant boats could arrive on the central south coast. On Wednesday, anti-migrant campaigners Poole Patriots joined the protest outside the RNLI’s headquarters some 50 miles from Portsmouth, accusing the charity of perpetrating criminal activity by helping to bring in unvetted young men. Around 60 anti-migrant activists gathered outside the RNLI headquarters in Poole, Dorset, on Wednesday night to protest against the charity’s involvement in rescuing migrants. Poole Old Lifeboat Museum posted on Facebook: ‘Due to the ongoing protests in Poole it is with regret that we have to close the museum until the protests cease. This is following several incidents of protesters verbally assaulting our volunteers in and around the museum. Hopefully we will reopen as soon as possible.’
Vikki Slade, one of the MPs for Poole where the RNLI is based, reported that local charity workers had been advised to work from home, vary their travel routes, and remove RNLI car stickers due to fears of targeted confrontations. She said: “I’ve had local residents who work for the RNLI tell me that they’ve been told to work from home, to vary their journey and even to remove their RNLI car stickers. I’ve also been to protests at the RNLI where they’ve been under attack from people who’ve travelled in specifically to target the RNLI and I think there’s a real fear in the town that this is happening again.”
RNLI Chief Executive Peter Sparkes pushed back forcefully against the wave of hostility, condemning those who hide behind keyboards and balaclavas to spread misinformation. RNLI chief executive Peter Sparkes slammed the hate as coming from those who hide behind a balaclava or a keyboard, whose action is wholly unacceptable. He clarified that rumors claiming the charity houses asylum seekers on its premises or operates secret transfer missions are completely baseless and untrue.
Photo: bbc.co.uk
“Recent events have generated deliberate misinformation and a misunderstanding about the RNLI – our purpose, our tasking, and particularly our lifesaving work in the Channel. Sadly, as a result, some of our volunteers and staff have been the subject of online and, in the worst cases, physical abuse.”
Anti-migrant protests leaves officers injured in Portsmouth, UK police say | BBC News
Peter Sparkes, RNLI Chief Executive
The rumours that we house asylum seekers on RNLI premises, or that there are RNLI missions to move migrants to secret locations … are completely baseless and untrue, said Sparkes. “Illegal migration is a polarising subject that generates strong views, locally and nationally. But please be mindful of misinformation, the impact it has upon others, and be reassured that the RNLI and our crews strive only to prevent people like you and me from drowning at sea. Stand by them, not against them and their families.”
You are all empowered to make decisions to keep yourself, your colleagues and your teams as safe as possible… This may also take the form of… choosing not to wear RNLI branded clothing when representing our charity in public. The
The charity’s vice-president, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, also defended the crews, emphasizing that volunteers respond exclusively when requested by the Coastguard, whose job is safety of life at sea regardless of nationality.
Meanwhile, the crisis prompted political action in Westminster. Digital Secretary Lisa Nandy confirmed she has held direct talks with social media platforms to accelerate the removal of threat-inducing content and strengthen protections for frontline volunteers, amid urgent calls to criminalise “doxxing” — the intentional publication of someone’s personal details online.
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