On September 6 2026, two Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) lifeboats brought around 120 migrants ashore at Portsmouth. They were met by a protest, where far-right demonstrators verbally abused lifeboat crew. The crew’s names, addresses and photographs were later circulated online.

The protest in the Eastney area of the city was organised by Patriot Platform, a far-right group led by Daniel Thomas. Demonstrators blocked roads and clashed with police, and RNLI volunteers were branded “traitors”.

Four days later, Portsmouth RNLI Station was out of service, with contingency cover from stations further along the coast. At the time of writing, it remained closed.

In a separate incident, Thomas pleaded not guilty to criminal damage after allegedly slashing a migrant dinghy in the English Channel. He was remanded in custody and will appear at Portsmouth Crown Court on September 29.

Read more: What Patriot Platform tells us about how the far right in the UK is changing its tactics

The RNLI is a charity whose mission is to save lives at sea – any lives. Since 1824, its volunteers have saved more than 146,000 people. In 2025 alone, RNLI lifeboats launched 9,058 times. Only 109 callouts involved small boats carrying migrants in the Channel, yet these now appear to have become synonymous with debates around border control and sovereignty.

The remaining 98.8% of those rescued were swimmers, sailors, children in........

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