Dame Julia Unwin condemned the “thuggery and intimidation” facing the RNLI at the Charity Commission annual public meeting. Her remarks came after the RNLI paused services in Portsmouth last month following abuse linked to anti-migrant protests.
“I want to use this opportunity to condemn in the strongest terms the thuggery and intimidation that volunteers of the RNLI have faced over recent weeks – and indeed over months and even years,” she said. “Charities must only do things that meet their purpose and objects. For the RNLI that means rescuing people in peril in the sea. It is not their right to do so. It is their absolute duty.”
Dame Julia Unwin
Unwin, who chairs the Charity Commission, said charities should expect disagreement but not abuse. “The charitable sector must have the courage to tolerate vigorous debate, individual charities must accept that people might disapprove of their work, for reasons of values, politics, faith or identity,” she said.
She drew a line between argument and intimidation. “We should in fact welcome differences of view as evidence that we are living in a society in which everyone has freedom of conscience. But we must never grow accustomed to criminal or para-criminal abuse,” she said, adding: “To draw the line between heated discussion and emotive and powerful disagreement and harassment or abuse,”
Portsmouth and Dover
The Portsmouth pause followed abuse of RNLI volunteers after anti-migrant protests, including footage on social media that described volunteers as “traitors” after they brought a dinghy to safety. Last month, a stop the boats protest also took place in Dover, where men dressed in black balaclavas marched through the streets and blocked roads and access to the port.
That backdrop has already reached government level. Earlier this month, Downing Street said crossings were down 44 per cent on last year, and that this summer saw the lowest number of small boat arrivals in six years. The prime minister’s official spokesman also said more than 80,000 people with no right to be here have been removed since the election.
Charity Commission limits
The dispute leaves the commission with a narrow path. Unwin’s comments set out the boundary she wants charities to defend: vigorous debate on one side, harassment and abuse on the other. But the remarks did not announce a new enforcement step, so the immediate pressure now sits on whether the condemnation is followed by any practical action through the Charity Commission’s own powers.
For the RNLI, the immediate issue is operational rather than rhetorical. Its stated purpose remains rescue at sea, and the Portsmouth pause shows how quickly protest pressure can spill into service disruption when volunteers become the target. Chris King coordinates RNLI Littlehampton Harbour Boat Rescue for two mariners and Harry Barea leads RNLI Lifeguards Porth Beach Rescue of 11 are examples of the rescue work the charity is still expected to carry out.
