Abuse of RNLI volunteers 'wholly unacceptable', chief says

RNLI said its volunteers have faced online and physical abuse since anti-migrant protests at the weekend, with chief executive Peter Sparkes calling it “wholly unacceptable”. He said the charity experienced “deliberate misinformation” and “misunderstanding” about its role, and condemned threats from people who would “hide behind a balaclava or a keyboard”. Sparkes’ comments followed protests in Portsmouth, where police faced demonstrators who blocked roads near the Eastney Landing ferry area to stop 140 people who arrived with RNLI help. The Portsmouth protest came a day after hundreds of masked “stop the boats” protesters brought the Port of Dover to a standstill, and footage later circulated showing volunteers labeled “traitors”.