RNLI and RNIB targeted by anti-migrant protesters

Anti-migrant protesters in the United Kingdom have targeted the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) with physical and online abuse, including branding volunteers ‘traitors’ and leaking personal details. The RNLI recently suspended services at its Portsmouth station following this targeted harassment. Despite the hostility, the charity revealed that its crews have previously stood by to ensure the safety of the protesters themselves when demonstrators entered the water to film rescue operations.

Misinformation surrounding the protests has also extended to the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB). Protesters have directed abuse at the RNIB, apparently due to a confusion between its name and the RNLI. The RNIB has clarified that it is a blindness charity and does not operate lifeboats or participate in English Channel rescue operations.

The RNLI noted that while it responds to people in danger at sea regardless of nationality, only 1.2% of its 2025 launches were to small boats in the Channel. The organization stated that the recent protests have generated ‘deliberate misinformation and a misunderstanding’ regarding its humanitarian role.