A plea from the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) for a £200 donation was met with a furious response from residents claiming the money would only be used to pick up immigrants.
RNLI chairman John Pendrill put forward the request at a recent meeting involving the Christchurch Residents’ Association in Dorset.
The 50-strong locals in attendance gave a ‘very hostile’ response and made their feelings clear about the charity’s role in rescuing asylum seekers crossing the English Channel.
One member shouted that the money would only fund a taxi service for migrants, according to an attendee, while another accused the RNLI of assisting illegal immigration.
In the end the matter was put to a vote and around three quarters of the members rallied against the donation, with a few abstaining and none in favour.
One member who was there said: ‘There were people rumbling away, saying the money will be used to pay for a taxi service for immigrants. The request did stir up certain members.’
John Pendrill, who chaired the meeting, said: ‘One of our members had made contact with us requesting we make a donation of £200 to the local RNLI.
‘As chairman I put it before the membership and it brought about a very strong response which was negative. Our members were hostile, very hostile, to any sort of financial support to the RNLI.
A plea made by the Royal National Institution (RNLI) for a £200 donation was met with a furious response from Dorset locals on the weekend (Pictured: An RNLI boat on the coast of Christchurch, Dorset)
Residents claimed the money would only be used to fund a ‘taxi service’ for migrants attempting to cross the English Channel (Pictured: RNLI boats on the coast of Christchurch, Dorset)
‘People expressed some rather strong views.
‘All of the responses were from people who did not like the RNLI assisting illegal immigrants getting into the country.
‘They felt the role of the RNLI is to help save people who are in trouble at sea not to help people who are trying to get here illegally and putting themselves in danger by doing so.
‘At the end of it there was a show of hands. There were about 50 people there and about three quarters were against, a few people abstained and I don’t recall anybody voting in favour.’
It comes after a group of anti-immigrations protestors gathered in Poole, Dorset, demanding the RNLI stop acting as a ‘taxi service’ for asylum seekers last weekend.
They argued it should not rest on RNLI volunteers to ‘ferry’ migrants in small boats across the English Channel.
But they were outnumbered by a 100-strong group of left-wing protestors from Stand Up to Racism.
The protesters, many of whom were draped in Union and St George’s flags, also said the RNLI could lose donations from the British public if they continued to facilitate crossings.
Protestors took to the streets of Poole, Dorset, last weekend campaigning for the RNLI to ‘stop the taxi service’
Police (pictured) had to separate the groups after Stand Up to Racism and anti-immigration protesters went to head to head
However, the 50 campaigners, many of whom were carrying placards reading ‘Stop the Taxi Service,’ and chanting ‘stop the boats, send them home,’ were outnumbered by almost 100 left-wing protesters from Stand Up to Racism.
Police had to separate the two groups after Stand Up to Racism accused their counterparts of wishing to see women and children drown in the Channel.
Tensions also grew further after one woman wearing a St George’s flag with ‘Tommy Robinson’ written on it walked towards the rival group. She was stopped by police.
One anti-immigration attendee, who travelled from London for the event, said: ‘I think the RNLI are great and do a fabulous job.
‘The issue here is what they are doing is bringing economic migrants over from France and a safe Europe so they can enjoy all the benefits of being here.
‘The RNLI is going out of its way to facilitate them by going to collect them from French waters. They have got it wrong by being a taxi service for illegal immigrants.’
It was the second anti-immigration protest staged at the RNLI headquarters after 30 campaigners gathered outside the headquarters in May.
A massive 65,922 illegal migrants have reached the United Kingdom since Sir Keir Starmer’s time on Downing Street began in July 2024 – that’s more than under any other PM in history.
A massive 65,922 illegal migrants have reached the United Kingdom since Sir Keir Starmer’s time on Downing Street began in July 2024
The 219 migrants who reached British shores on Sunday, February 8, saw the total who have entered Britain during Sir Keir’s leadership surpass that under Boris Johnson.
One of Sir Keir’s first acts in office after the 2024 general election was scrapping the previous government’s Rwanda asylum deal.
The programme had been designed to deter crossings – and save lives – by sending migrants to the east African country to claim asylum there rather than here.
Labour’s flagship policy is a ‘one in, one out’ deal with France which allows a small number of migrants to be sent back across the Channel.
