Anger directed at the RNLI and its volunteers over the small boat crisis is misplaced, according to Express reporter James Knuckey, who covered an anti-migrant protest outside the charity's headquarters in Poole, Dorset, on Wednesday evening.
Knuckey described RNLI lifeboat crews as "brave heroes" who save lives in waters most people would never dare enter. He said it left "a sour taste" to hear these volunteers had faced online and physical abuse following anti-migrant protests in Dover and Portsmouth over the weekend.
Protesters' Complaints
The organiser of the Poole protest suggested lifeboat crews should "refuse" to rescue migrant boats in the English Channel. Another protester accused the RNLI of "facilitating the bringing in of unvetted illegal men".
However, Knuckey noted there is nothing to suggest those who attended the protest have been involved in the reported abuse of RNLI staff. Everyone he spoke to said they appreciated the volunteers' work but took issue with their bosses and the charity's involvement in rescuing small boats.
RNLI's Role
The RNLI states all small boat crossings in the Channel are classed as being in distress, and under international maritime law, any vessel that becomes aware of people in distress at sea must take all reasonable measures to assist.
Of the charity's 9,058 lifeboat launches across the UK and Ireland last year, just 109 (1.2%) were to small boats in the Channel.
Knuckey concluded that while anger and frustration over small boat arrivals is understandable, channelling it towards the RNLI and its volunteers will do very little. "After all, it is the RNLI's job to save lives at sea and it is the politicians' task to solve the crisis," he wrote.
