The boss of the RNLI has condemned threats and abuse directed at the charity’s volunteers and staff following the recent interception of a migrant boat off the coast of the Isle of Wight.
RNLI CEO Peter Sparkes has spoken out after what he describes as ‘deliberate misinformation and a misunderstanding’ about the charity, its purpose and how its crews are tasked.
His comments come after Bembridge and Yarmouth RNLI lifeboats were tasked at around 10:35 on Sunday (6th September) to a large migrant dinghy around halfway between the Isle of Wight and Cherbourg, France, as previously reported by Island Echo.
More than 150 migrants were subsequently brought ashore at Eastney, where Police in riot gear were deployed as protesters gathered.
Since Sunday’s incident, the RNLI has come under fire, including criticism directed at those involved in the operation.
Mr Sparkes has now revealed that some RNLI volunteers, including those from Bembridge and Yarmouth, and staff have been subjected to online and, in the worst cases, physical abuse.
He has said:
“Recent events have generated deliberate misinformation and a misunderstanding about the RNLI – our purpose, our tasking, and particularly our lifesaving work in the Channel.
Article continues below this advertisement “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.
“To those who stand for and by the RNLI, thank you. This charity will continue to save lives at sea all around the UK and Ireland – as we always have and always will.”
More than 150 migrants were subsequently brought ashore at Eastney, where Police in riot gear were deployed as protesters gathered.
You can view Peter Sparkes’ statement in full here.
I will never ever give another penny to these charities again
Close enough to France but brought them to the UK
Shameful
Sparkes could address the disgusting way his organisation has treated the Isle of Wight and the loyal employees who worked for him.
Instead he choose to state “We will take whatever steps we can, to care for and protect our people and their families”.
Didn’t see much “care and protection” from him and his pals in Poole.
In fact we saw the exact OPPOSITE.
Has he been taking “leaderships skill lessons” from No Mandate Andy, who opines Falklanders have a legal right to decide their future, but Chagossians have NO such right?
Not very bright Sparkes!
Double standards at best!
The RNLI Boss is right.
Persons are risking their lives coming to the UK
and then a bunch of uneducated law breaking
numpties think they can take the law into their own hands.
I cannot believe the things I have read recently, it shows
how many wicked uneducated numpties there are on the
Island.
All these persons travelling from afar are peoples children
and don’t deserve this treatment.
Imagine if it was our children fleeing the UK for safety
reasons I wouldn’t want them to be greeted the way
uneducated numpties have been treating these persons
seeking asylum.
Let’s hope the persons causing such trouble are dealt
with.
Everyone should be given a chance not all people are bad.
The RNLI do a wonderful job and do not deserve this
neither do the police or other Emergency services.
These persons are employees who do what they are paid to do.
Your tirade s wrong for so many reasons, they do not have to come to ourt shores , france is a perectly safe country, they come tot his country for the benefits and free housing which starts immediately unlike our own citizens who have to wait their turn ,the only people fleeing the UK are the wealth creators becuase they do not want their hard earned taxes spent on the workshy and illegal immigrants, everyone should be given a chance, well do you include uk born citizenas in that comment because it seems your sympahies are firmly and only with the illegals.
Whatever the reason they come numpties
should not attack the RNLI or Emergency services
employees, they are only doing their job.
Bullying / thuggery is not the answer.
Do you know what Barmy Barnie from Bembridge? I’ll bet most of the people seeking liberty and freedom speak better English than you do, you illiterate, racist xenophobe. And would you like me to explain what a xenophobe is?
So many racists on the island, how sad.
Wouldn’t it be funny if they housed migrants next door
to Redorm voters on the island.
When your only arguement is petty insults then you have lost before you have started, as for xenophobia, I have no dislike for any nationality , I do have major issues with those that come here illegally and march straight to the front of the queue for housing and benefits.
Hahaha!
I have news for you – the “wealth creators” you reference do not pay tax, that is why they leave the country. Their employees do the work and create the wealth and are usually underpaid for it while the people you refer to pay themselves off shore to avoid paying tax. If they want to go elsewhere then let them go.
Wilfully ignorant yet again.
Ignoring the stupid comments of asylum seekers let’s address the ‘wealth creators’. They create wealth (or, more accurately it is created for them by way of unearned capital), and the hard work is done by a team of accountants and lawyers. Effectively they pay very little personal tax. SOME of the money they get is taxed at a rate of 8.75% in a dividend, not as income at 50% (highest earners bracket). MOST of the money is funnelled through companies, parent companies and shell companies that only exist on paper to avoid tax. The accounts are held offshore and they pay no tax.
Now, tell us again. Who is the workshy? Better question…how much food does one man need in order to survive?
Quite right BB. It always amazes me how some people, generally left-wing, try to make out that all illegal migrants are innocent little lambs.
The reality is that too many will have been justifiably refused ‘asylum’ elsewhere, or are fleeing criminal charges in another country or have criminal motives for coming here or just want a cushy life living on our taxes. We have become the five star dustbin of Europe.
Take out those, which this lefty government won’t do so long as us mugs pay taxes, and you’d only be left with a handful – if that.
Where’s all the women and children seeking asylum from these “unsafe”countries then?
No more donations from me to rnli.
Have you ever thought that these poor individuals
don’t come here first get sorted with a home and then
bring their families over.
Ahh that seems normal, instead of the women and children fleeing for safety they’re left in a warzone to fight while the man flees?
Because the men/boys get rounded up and either forceably conscripted or shot. Women and children are unlikely to survive a trek of thousands of miles you muppet, but they can dodge bombs and pray.
Perhaps you could put your name forward to house the odd one or two of these all middle aged men the orange Taxi brigade have brought in
I take it you will be welcoming these so dear to your heart, immigrants into your own home with open arms?
The thing is Mr. Sparkes that the majority of people want the R.N.L.I. to do their designated tasks of rescuing those in peril and NOT becoming a taxi for illegal immigrants. Also the same people will be disgusted at the abuse that the volunteer crews have received by a minority of narrow minded yobs. Just stop exasperating the problem by picking them up and bringing them to our shores.
Are you absolutely sure that “the majority of people” don’t want the RNLI to rush to the aid of migrants in unsafe vessels at sea?
I’m quite sure that most decent human beings would rather see desperate people rescued than have their corpses washing up on our beaches.
Even the far-right racist keyboard warriors are human. I have too much faith in humanity to believe they’d do nothing while innocent people die at sea.
You need your head checking, those people are illegal immigrants and have no place over here. They should have been taken back to France, it’s a safe country. We need to protect our women and children from these invaders.
You should be more concerned about the local
drugged / pissed up numpties in Church Litten or
along Sandown High Street and Esplanade.
When a boat is in difficultly on our shores the rescue crew take them back to were they set off on the voyage or as close as possible not to another country
So why don’t they take them back to France were they set off
nope – leave them ..they are not wanted
Well said. All lives matter
“ALL LIVES”
My support for the RNLI is steadfast.
My respect for the volunteers and staff of the RNLI is resolute.
Saving lives at sea is the epitome of selfless humanity. We could all learn a little about how to be better people from the RNLI.
Totally agree Wokerati. The crews are absolutely fantastic. But they were not saving lives – they were taxi-ing illegal immigrants to our shores which is NOT what I and thousands of others give them money to do!! I will still donate monthly to them but will be watching with interest and might stop my contributions if this becomes the norm.
Try crossing the English Channel in an overcrowded rubber dinghy and tell me your life is not in peril.
It is exactly because the RNLI do not make a distinction between fishermen, yachtsmen, water-sports enthusiasts, beach goers or migrants that I am so vociferous in my support for them.
The sea is a powerful and unforgiving environment. If the sea doesn’t discriminate, neither should the RNLI.
Tell me would your opinion change if these local lifeboats were doing their daiy taxi journey’s miles out into the english channel and a genuine emergency of a UK boat with UK sailors on baord arose just off the IOW coast which resulted in a loss of life but there was no lifeboats available to save the crew, if your opinion remains the same then you are totally ignorant.
That’s an interesting hypothetical question.
It is only hypothetical though as assets from other stations and other organisations would backfill the gaps in cover.
Any fatality at sea is a tragedy.
Another thought experiment though, is would you as skipper of a crew of a UK flagged vessel with a small crew of perhaps 2 or 3 want the RNLI to call off a mission to rescue 150 souls in a floundering dinghy to come to your aid, prioritising you just because you happen to be British?
I certainly wouldn’t.
As our old friend Mr Spock famously said “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. Or the one.”
And of course the other pressing question….how would they be expected to determine either need or worthiness in advance of a launch?
Same goes for ambulances, Helimed, police…..
‘Where were you born…do you have a legal right to be here? No email to send proof? Oh then no, not coming, soz…’ And all that via flare. How clever.
didnt have to set off from france did they – they should have been left to be dragged back to france by the tide
Very true. I had no idea how many evil uneducated
numpties were on the island, maybe one day they
will need to he rescued.
The RNLI do a great and dangerous job.
Keep up the good work RNLI
It’s a shame the French don’t share your opinion as they watch them happily put their lives at risk and then follow them to a point they are collected by the RNLI. At some point and innocent person in distress will die while they are wasting their time picking up these illegals that should never have been allowed to leave France
And yet if they were here you’d expect us to let them leave? In fact, you’d actively encourage it.
Plenty of innocent people in distress have died during the small boat crossings…including some deliberately scuppered by people with your viewpoint. Often small children, occasionally babies, who can’t be accessed quick enough by the lifeboats while the boats are sinking and are stampeded to death. Seen Titanic, have you?
But you miss the point these people are not in danger on the seas, they mainly only choose flat calm sailings, these are politcally controlled taxi journeys
I don’t miss that point at all.
I disagree entirely with your conclusion that people in overloaded dinghies in the English Channel are not in danger.
These are exactly the people in great danger for whom I gladly donate to RNLI.
You lot need a reality check. More illegals have entered this country than invaded the beaches of France during world war 2. It’s a disgrace to their memory letting these criminals in our country
How bloody dare you. Their memory is being disgraced daily by everyone buying into this clap-trap of xenophobia. Our relatives fought against the tyranny of an inhumane regime persecuting, torturing, exterminating foreigners, children, the elderly, disabled, other armed forces, civilians, fellow Germans. Over 17 million of them. For any reason they chose. The sights they saw of the atrocities they discovered in the aftermath of that war gave many of them significant PTSD for the rest of their lives, and still give many of us who watched them grieve, year on year nightmares. Lest we forget? Don’t you bloody dare hijack that with your vileness.
It’s people like you who afterwards tried to wriggle out of their complicity by saying they didn’t know. And the shame of their subsequent families down the decades has haunted them too.
People are stupid and ignorant. Fact.
The RNLI volunteers are amazing, thank you for all your selfless work, for all the time you spend away from your families to help others, and for your sheer braveness.
As for the bullying idiots – sort yourselves out and get your facts right FFS.
I agree that there’s no need for threats and stuff but they are supposed to be looking after us not giving illegal immigrants a safe ride to a place where they couldn’t give a sh*t about.
Handle the truth, no way should the RNLI be ferrying illegals anywhere. Listen to the people and don’t do it.
I am the people. Carry on saving all lives without discrimination.
Labour said it costs £50000.00 per year for 1 mi grunt. So this boat will cost hard pressed taxpayers £7 million pounds.
Not all taxpayers receive £175000.00 per year, like the CEO of the RNLI charity, that doesn’t pay tax.
Pensioners struggling on the state pension, certainly don’t get £50000.00 per year, after years of work.
This charity has collected thousands more, so do the math , Mr Sparkes.
People are entitled to disagree with your flawed policy.
unbelievable that people think that just because people are fleeing their country that they shouldn’t be saved by the RNLI. why is it okay if someone from France on a boat having a jolly needs assistance but not these people? you can’t decide that one race of people’s lives are more important to save than others.
With the best will in the world people don’t donate to the RNLI for them to leave the waters around the Isle of Wight vunerable.
What would have happened if there had been a MayDay call over from a boat at the Needles or Compton Bay?
What is it with RNLI Head Office? They obviously do not place any importance of the Isle of Wight. Closing the East Cowes RNLI Workshop with loss of island jobs and now sending our vital lifeboats from where they could be needed for emergencies in our local waters.
I am full of admiration for the crews and they should not feel threatened under any circumstances.
Numpty =foolish, silly, or slightly clueless person.
Perfect description for those of limited vocabulary, who continually use this word.
So many numpties on this small island
the weekend confirmed this.
Bless
I can’t believe the comments, listen to yourselves! The RNLI staff did what they believed was necessary, I doubt they had time to think politically about it at the time they were doing their job. If they hadn’t gone out the boat would’ve turned up on our shores without us even noticing more like. Then what would you have said?
Where was the RNLI when you needed them!?
They certainly don’t deserve threats and abuse they risk their lives and face harrowing situations on call outs, they’re not medical staff remember.
stop being so nasty, it’s the Government you should be angry with for allowing people like this to get this far.
It’s not right in any sense, keep it real though and channel energy in the right direction
Sparkes needs to receive the same treatment as lorry drivers, who bring in illegal immigrants via Dover or Folkestone. They are automatically fined, even though most are unaware of the stowaways in the back of their lorries. The RNLI, H M.Coastguard and Border Farce are deliberately enabling thousands of such illegal immigrants to enter the country and need to be prosecuted accordingly. Did the two boats last weekend put out a distress call? Were they sinking or in immediate danger of sinking? I think not. Therefore, the RNLI, H.M. Coastguard and Border Farce had no business ‘rescuing ‘ them.
It’s a vessel From France so take them back to France like you would any other vessel in distress from France . What’s wrong with doing that
THANK YOU RNLI for just doing your job, saving lives at sea, whatever race or creed. Medicine Sans Frontiers (who I worked for for many years) also got a lot of criticism for doing exactly that off the coast of France. Reason the world is in such a mess is that humanity itself is fizzling out.
The RNLI are traitors to the british people and should be treated as such.
The right wing brainwashed have now shown to all who they really are and how they have no grasp on reality. The RNLI are hero’s and I fully support them. I have donated £100 today to show my support, and I have also changed my avatar on all social media to their logo.
I am outraged at the comments I am seeing with some calling for them to be arrested. This is deranged and just goes to show the extent that US and Russian influence and media outlets like GB news and Talk TV have poisoned our society. The people attacking the RNLI need to take a long look in the mirror and think about who they have become. They are attacking people that dedicate and risk their lives to save others in distress. It is absolutely disgusting what I am seeing people say.
The remarks from the Reform leaders show that reform are the party that hates anyone that does not to follow their dangerous ideology, this is fascism for all to see.
LOVE YOU!!!
I was absolutely delighted to read in the national press this morning that the result of anti-migrant, far-right agitators calling for the RNLI to be defunded has resulted in a significant boost in donations.
It seems that the UK still has a heart and brain and that the xenophobic haters are simply a vociferous minority.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/sep/11/rnli-charity-reports-donations-boost-far-right-small-boats