The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) has temporarily suspended services at its Portsmouth station after volunteers experienced physical and online abuse from anti-migrant protesters. The charity's volunteers have been targeted for their role in rescuing migrants attempting to cross the English Channel.
Volunteers have been branded as 'traitors,' and some have had their personal details published online, a practice known as doxxing. In response to the abuse, the Portsmouth Lifeboat Station has taken down its Facebook page, and volunteers have been advised to avoid wearing their official badges in public.
The station has been out of active use since September 10. The RNLI stated that contingency arrangements are in place to ensure continued search and rescue cover through neighboring stations and other assets.
The incidents follow the September 6 rescue of approximately 120 migrants by RNLI lifeboats deployed from the Isle of Wight. As news of the rescue spread, demonstrators gathered in the area, leading to protests. Multiple individuals have since been charged with violent disorder, and several police officers sustained injuries.
Peter Sparkes, Chief Executive of the RNLI, condemned the abuse as stemming from individuals who 'hide behind a balaclava or a keyboard,' describing their actions as 'wholly unacceptable.' He noted that misinformation and a misunderstanding of the RNLI's lifesaving work have contributed to the harassment.
The abuse has extended beyond the RNLI, with the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) mistakenly targeted by protesters who accused them of aiding migrants. The RNIB was forced to clarify their identity, emphasizing they are not involved in migrant rescues.
In response to the doxxing incidents, UK Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has pledged to strengthen laws to make the online leaking of personal addresses a criminal offense. Nandy also convened a meeting with social media companies to address the abuse, criticizing X, formerly Twitter, for failing to send representatives, calling the platform an 'utter disgrace' for its lack of response.