A petition has been launched in support of the RNLI after the charity and some of its staff and volunteers were subject to misinformation, threats, harassment and “doxxing”– where an individual’s private information is published online – following the recent far-right anti-migration protests organised in Dover and Portsmouth.
The petition has already garnered almost 70,000 signatures, and addressed the RNLI directly in the petition description: “From holidaymakers enjoying the sea to migrants caught in desperate terrifying situations, you carry out vital work protecting lives.
“And a minority of people who are abusing you should not be able to undermine your cause. They do not speak for us.”
The RNLI has previously faced scrutiny from the far-right for the role it plays in rescuing migrants who encounter difficulties at sea when attempting to cross the English Channel in small boats to reach the UK. It has always defended its position as a humanitarian charity dedicated to saving all lives at sea, irrespective of nationality.
However, it has now been reported by Together Now that crew members from Bembridge and Yarmouth RNLI stations have been facing “doxxing” attacks orchestrated by far-right groups after they saved the lives of migrants at sea.
‘Deliberate misinformation and a misunderstanding of the RNLI’
In a public statement on the recent events, RNLI chief executive Peter Sparkes said: “The RNLI is an apolitical organisation; we are completely independent of government, powered by remarkable, kind people and fuelled by the incredible generosity of the public.
“When His Majesty’s Coastguard tasks a RNLI lifeboat crew to launch to a vessel or people in distress, whenever and wherever they need us, we will. We will always answer the call, whoever needs our help.
“It is a legal and moral obligation that our country has, under the United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea and SOLAS, Safety of Life at Sea. Courage is the RNLI’s currency; dependable, loyal, service to others and our nations is our hallmark.”
Sparkes added that recent events had “generated deliberate misinformation and a misunderstanding about the RNLI – our purpose, our tasking, and particularly our lifesaving work in the Channel.
Sparkes also confirmed the abuse faced by his staff, saying: “Sadly, as a result, some of our volunteers and staff have been the subject of online and, in the worst cases, physical abuse.
“The RNLI’s people represent the very best in our society, they selflessly give up their time to keep others safe. Yet they and their families are being threatened by those who would hide behind a balaclava or a keyboard.
“Their action, in contrast, is wholly unacceptable in a civilised society. We will take whatever steps we can, to care for and protect our people and their families.”
Sparkes also rejected the “ludicrous rumours” circulating about the RNLI’s role in rescuing migrants at sea, and clarified that RNLI lifeboats launched 9,058 times in 2025, with only 109 of those launches being to those in distress in the Channel, representing 1.2% of the RNLI’s total rescue work.
Smith added: “Our mission, and our tasking is to rescue those women, children and men in danger of drowning. Anyone rescued from a small boat by the RNLI is immediately handed over to the UK’s immigration authorities. Illegal immigration is a political issue; the RNLI exists to save lives at sea.”
