Volunteers for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) are set to defy the charity's advice to stop wearing its badge in public, in a bid to avoid confrontations with anti-migrant protesters, the Mail on Sunday can reveal.
Some serving RNLI members disagree with the directive, arguing that it amounts to "giving in to bullies."
The charity issued the advice following protests in Dover and Portsmouth last weekend, when volunteers were targeted after rescuing migrants at sea. Video posted on social media showed volunteers being labelled "traitors" after they helped a dinghy carrying 140 migrants to safety at Eastney, near Portsmouth. Threatening posts on X also named individual crew members.
Protests have also been held at RNLI sites. Last Wednesday, an anti-migrant gathering took place at the RNLI College in Poole, Dorset.
The RNLI is a charity that operates search and rescue lifeboats around the coasts of the United Kingdom and Ireland, staffed largely by volunteers, and has become a focal point in the debate over Channel crossings because its crews are frequently called on to rescue migrants attempting the journey in small boats.
The charity confirmed that donations had risen in the aftermath of the controversy as the British public rallied round the organisation. An online petition in support of the charity had attracted 130,000 signatures by Friday.
Volunteers speak out
David Wimble, 59, a former RNLI volunteer of 20 years' service, said some volunteers had been dismayed by the advice to avoid wearing RNLI-branded clothing in public, and would not follow it.
"The feeling among the volunteers I have spoken to is, 'What does it say about us if we give in to bullies?'" he said.
"They plan to continue to wear the badge in their communities with pride, as they always have done. I have an RNLI jumper, and there is no way I'm not wearing it in public because of these bullies."
"I'll wear it with pride as I always have. But there is no doubt there is still concern because people don't want their families targeted and it is understandable that the RNLI is thinking about the safety of its crews."
"But these are proud men and women and the events of last weekend and the unacceptable levels of intimidation have brought things to a head and the volunteers I know feel defiant and want to keep wearing their RNLI clothing as they always have."
RNLI's response
The RNLI said: "Given the unacceptable abuse our people have faced, and with protest activity taking place at RNLI locations, we have taken action to help ensure the safety and wellbeing of our volunteers and staff."
"As well as enhancing security at RNLI locations, we issued guidance to our people this week on how to keep themselves safe."
"This guidance included how to manage potentially challenging interactions with members of the public and, where appropriate, choosing not to wear RNLI-branded clothing."
"Our people have been reminded that their safety comes first and they are encouraged to report relevant incidents internally and, where appropriate, to the police."
Mr Wimble, who served at the Littlestone-on-Sea RNLI station in Kent, is a Reform UK councillor for the Romney Marsh ward of Folkestone and Hythe District Council, but said he was speaking as a former volunteer.
He added: "I have been disgusted by the intimidation directed at volunteers. Can you imagine the outcry if an RNLI boat didn't go out and people lost their lives?"
"It makes me shudder to think of that and shows how wrong these people in balaclavas really are."
