RNLI volunteers protected anti-migrant protesters who branded them 'traitors' and forced their station to close

Read the original at Daily Mail ↗
Daily Mail · collected 2026-09-18 · by Claire Duffin, Jon Brady

Quick Summary

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) in Portsmouth suspended its services after volunteers received physical and online abuse from anti-migrant protesters who had previously been saved by RNLI efforts. During protests on September 6, when over 100 migrants were brought to shore, the RNLI dispatched four lifeboats for safety reasons as many demonstrators entered the water with filming equipment. The charity's chief executive acknowledged that protection of protesters necessitated deploying these resources but now advises volunteers not to wear identifying badges in public due to ongoing harassment.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-20, using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the same event (that is the story summary below).

AI analysis runs on qwen2.5:14b, locally

Story summary

In Portsmouth earlier this month, RNLI volunteers faced physical and online abuse from hard-right anti-migrant protesters who branded them 'traitors' after the charity rescued migrants. Despite this harassment, RNLI crew members were on standby during protests to ensure the safety of demonstrators in the water. The organization suspended its services temporarily due to the risks to volunteer safety and wellbeing. According to Jacqui Irons, the south-east regional head, four lifeboats were kept on standby specifically for protester safety. One volunteer named Neil told the BBC that their presence was solely to protect protesters, contradicting claims of disloyalty. This incident highlights tensions between humanitarian efforts and anti-immigration sentiment in coastal areas like Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight.

Written for “RNLI Volunteering Controversy” on 2026-10-04, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
36
claim-shaped sentences
Uncertain
0%
0 of 36 hedged
Leaning
withheld
no quote in the article backed the model's score
Correction & hedging signals
64.9
corrections and hedging in what we collected; not a measure of accuracy
Outlets on this story
1
Politics
Narrative spread
1
articles carrying this framing
Analyzed 2026-09-20 · how these are computed

Story

📰 RNLI Volunteering Controversy
Politics · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

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Publisher

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Running correction rate · 12 correction(s)
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Clarifications and corrections

Who wrote this

Claire Duffin
11 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 Robert May, 73, also performed lewd acts while standing naked in his window and bombarded her with disgusting text messages. He has now pleaded guilty to an act of outraging public decency after Mrs Day's daughter Sue Mason-Day installed a camera at her housing complex in Worcestershire. May will be sentenced at Kidderminster Magistrates' Court later this month. Mrs Mason-Day, 54, said her mother had endured 'years of hell' which started when her father Brian was still alive and continued after his death. She told how he would send text messages saying 'show me your breasts' before it escalated to him touching himself naked in his flat window in plain view.
🔮 On Tuesday, court officials confirmed that a judge had given Digwa the green light to appeal against his sentence, which will be heard alongside the Attorney General's bid to increase his jail term on November 5.
🔮 Five men were pictured as police arrested them on terror charges near RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire The group were shirtless and handcuffed, suggesting police suspected they may be wearing suicide vests The farmer said she thought the vans were suspicious because a phone number and lettering on the back of the vehicles appeared to be fake '
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🔮 It would have meant she would have lost her right to claim prescriptive easement - the legal right to use another person's land, which can be acquired by proving continuous use over at least 20 years.
🔮 Immediately following the stabbing, Donoher put the knife back in his pocket and calmly walked away before making the 'delusional' claim he had 'killed a paedophile' and would be seen as 'a legend in prison'.
🔮 TotalEnergies was said to have acted 'contrary to the interests of Mr Mawer and everyone there' and more people could have been saved if they had provided fuel for helicopters.
🔮 A spokesman said: 'It would not be appropriate to comment further on matters that have been considered by the court other than that the council has a duty to safeguard its legal interests in public assets, including land that it owns and manages on behalf of residents.
🔮 He was asked by one of the officers: 'Is there anyone you can name we can go and speak to who might be able to clear up these issues?
🔮 It would be nice for those people who called me a traitor to know that I'm not a traitor.'
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Jon Brady
16 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
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🔮 It is evidently facilitating the advancement of ideas which, far from benefiting the public, could fuel discrimination, division and abuse.
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🔮 After 'killing a few people', the document allegedly states, he would then attempt to 'hijack someone's car' and 'run over a few people'.
🔮 'Most importantly, stay active, stay healthy, and keep your spirits up.' Tony Blair showed off his surprisingly toned physique in a picture shared on Instagram by an Indonesian politician The ex-PM was the first British leader to visit Indonesia in 20 years when he travelled there in 2006 (pictured) Mr Blair's love of fitness is well-documentred and he once memorably played head-tennis with Kevin Keegan during the Labour Party Conference in 1995 (pictured) Comments on the post were restricted after some expressed dismay at the Indonesian politician working out with one of the key figures behind the Iraq War.
🔮 Iris Au is hugged by her boyfriend, Love Island winner Davide Sanclimenti, as they leave Los Angeles Federal Courthouse on Monday after she was given an 18-month sentence Au, 37, admitted a charge of subscribing to a false tax return and was ordered to pay back $1.4million - as well as surrendering luxury cars and handbags Au (right) pictured leaving court with Davide and friends influencer Alli Stavro (first from left) and personal injury lawyer Tina Odjaghian (second from left) The couple began dating in May 2024 and went public with their romance in January 2025 as his ex-girlfriend, Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu, appeared on Love Island: All-Stars.
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Topics

BBC Daily Mail Portsmouth RNLI the Isle of Wight

Subjects

RNLI ORG · 11× Portsmouth ORG · 3× BBC ORG · 1× Daily Mail ORG · 1× France GPE · 1× Jacqui Irons PERSON · 1× Neil PERSON · 1× Peter Sparkes PERSON · 1× Poole Old Lifeboat Museum ORG · 1× the Isle of Wight GPE · 1×

Narrative

An RNLI crewman watches a demonstrator in the water during a protest in Portsmouth earlier this month A group thought to be made up of migrants on board an RNLI lifeboat during a rescue operation earlier this month Four lifeboats were on standby for the safety of the anti-migrant gathering (pictured: a protester filming in the water) The RNLI took the station 'off-service' earlier this month after protesters took to the water to film, so it can 'review crew safety and wellbeing', south-east regional head Jacqui Irons said.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-20
🔮 It would be nice for those people who called me a traitor to know that I'm not a traitor.'

Claims (36 extracted, 0 hedged)

- See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source RNLI volunteers branded 'traitors' by anti-migrant protesters had recently worked to keep those same protesters safe, it has emerged. asserted
it → see → protesters
The lifeboat charity has suspended services in Portsmouth after its volunteers suffered physical and online abuse from hard-right demonstrators. asserted
volunteers → suspend → demonstrators
Hard-right protesters targeted the organisation following its rescue work bringing migrants ashore, branding volunteers 'traitors' and publishing some of their personal details online. asserted
protesters → target → details
But the RNLI, whose volunteers make a pledge to 'save everyone' upon joining, recently revealed it had been on standby during recent protests after demonstrators went into the water to film. asserted
demonstrators → make → water
One volunteer, called Neil - who was falsely identified as another volunteer by activists online - told the BBC: 'We were there, purely for the safety of the protesters in the water. ' asserted
We → call → water
It would be nice for those people who called me a traitor to know that I'm not a traitor.' asserted
I → call → me
Images from a protest staged on September 6, when over 100 migrants were brought to land by lifeboats, show lifeboat crews standing by as demonstrators took to the water, phones held aloft, trying to film the work of volunteers. asserted
phones → stag → volunteers
The charity's chief executive Peter Sparkes told volunteers that four lifeboats had been dispatched, he said, 'to also stand by for safety reasons while large numbers of protesters were in and near the water'. asserted
numbers → tell → water
Such immediate protection will not be in place should anti-migrant protesters take to the sea again after the RNLI temporarily closed its Portsmouth lifeboat station following a course of protracted and targeted abuse. asserted
RNLI → take → abuse
An RNLI crewman watches a demonstrator in the water during a protest in Portsmouth earlier this month A group thought to be made up of migrants on board an RNLI lifeboat during a rescue operation earlier this month Four lifeboats were on standby for the safety of the anti-migrant gathering (pictured: a protester filming in the water) The RNLI took the station 'off-service' earlier this month after protesters took to the water to film, so it can 'review crew safety and wellbeing', south-east regional head Jacqui Irons said. asserted
Irons → watch → safety
She added: 'We have a duty of care to our people.' asserted
We → add → people
While Portsmouth Lifeboat Station has temporarily closed and its Facebook page has been taken down, the RNLI says the seas around the coastal city remain under its protection via established contingency arrangements including other nearby stations. asserted
seas → close → stations
RNLI volunteers have been advised to stop wearing its badge in public to avoid confrontations with anti-migrant protesters. asserted
volunteers → advise → protesters
It comes after two RNLI all-weather lifeboats, deployed from the Isle of Wight, landed at Eastney Point on September 6, after picking up 120 migrants who were attempting to cross the Channel from France. asserted
who → come → France
As reports of the boats landing spread, demonstrators flocked to the area to demonstrate against the arrival of the migrants. asserted
demonstrators → spread → migrants
Multiple protesters have since been charged with violent disorder as a result of the late-night march, with several police officers treated for injuries at the scene. asserted
officers → charge → scene
The RNLI has been on the receiving end of a large amount of physical and online abuse after it brought the migrants to shore and volunteers have even been told not to wear their uniform and branded clothing in public. asserted
volunteers → receive → public
Video posted on social media showed volunteers being labelled 'traitors', while threatening posts on X named crew members. asserted
posts → post → X
Poole Old Lifeboat Museum has closed after several incidents of anti-migrant protesters verbally assaulting their volunteers. asserted
protesters → close → volunteers
Chief executive Mr Sparkes criticised abusive posters who 'hide behind a balaclava or a keyboard' and said their 'action is wholly unacceptable'. asserted
action → criticise → balaclava
He added: 'Recent events have generated deliberate misinformation and a misunderstanding about the RNLI – our purpose, our tasking, and particularly our lifesaving work in the Channel. asserted
events → add → Channel
He has said only 109 of the charity's 9,058 launches last year were for people 'in distress in the Channel' - 1.2 per cent of its total rescue work. asserted
109 → say → work
The backlash has also led to a surge in donations. asserted
backlash → lead → donations
A spokesman for the charity said: 'Portsmouth Lifeboat Station has been temporarily off service since September 10. asserted
Station → say → September
We hope to have the lifeboat station back on service as soon as possible. asserted
station → hope → service
Search and rescue cover continues to be provided through established contingency arrangements, including flank RNLI stations and other declared assets. asserted
cover → continue → stations
'In such circumstances, established contingency arrangements are put in place to ensure continued search and rescue cover. asserted
arrangements → establish → cover
Balaclava-clad activists clamber out of the water on September 6 during a protest in Portsmouth Protesters hold a banner during a South Coast Patriots march in Portsmouth over the weekend Anti-immigration protesters have even directed abuse at Britain's leading blindness charity, accusing it of helping small boat migrants after mistaking it for the RNLI. asserted
protesters → clothe → RNLI
The Royal National Institute of Blind People was forced to issue a statement that they are 'not the lifeboat people' following threats. asserted
they → force → threats
The charity posted online: 'For absolute certainty, we're the Royal National Institute of Blind People, not the lifeboat people.' asserted
we → post → People
In response the RNLI joked: 'This is also your friendly reminder that we can't give you eye-health advice.' asserted
we → joke → advice
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has vowed to strengthen the law on 'doxxing', which involves leaking home addresses, after lifeboat volunteers involved in migrant crossing rescues had their personal details published online. asserted
details → vow → rescues
The Labour MP said she would 'tighten up the law' to make it a criminal offence. asserted
it → say → law
Ms Nandy held a meeting with social media firms on Tuesday afternoon to discuss such abuse. asserted
Nandy → hold → abuse
She called Elon Musk's social media platform X an 'utter disgrace' after executives failed to attend a meeting about the online abuse of lifeboat volunteers. asserted
executives → call → volunteers
Ms Nandy said the US tech billionaire's company had not responded to the invitation to discuss the issue. asserted
company → say → issue
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