To think the RNLI are 100% in the right

[SanFranBear]

I've just seen this story on the BBC news homepage where the RNLI are being accused of acting as a taxi service for migrants trying to enter the UK on small boats from Europe.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8dejyg4l37o

The organisation and volunteers quite rightly have responded to say they make no apologies for saving lives at sea and that their work has no political motivation.

Damn straight - one of the volunteers further down the article explains the profound impact he feels of encountering people struggling in our waters.

It makes me wonder what critics of the service expect them to do - just sail away, leaving the people to die? Pick them up and cross the channel to dump them back 'where they came from'?

What is wrong with them? Where is their compassion? Regardless of your thoughts on immigration, this is so cold and inhuman....

Yes, I do, and I volunteer at two refugee charities also.

You're quite right - as decent human beings we have a responsibility to others in distress, particularly those who out of desperation have arrived 'on the beaches' with absolutely nothing and are usually traumatised.

This criticism of RNLI has been going on for years and re-emerges every so often when the right wing run out of things to complain about. I recall some years ago that a bunch of fascists concerned citizens targetted RNLI lifeboat stations and crew.

RNLI crew are heroes, and their job is to save lives at sea. Not ask for passports.

That would be great, but I doubt Zebedee would agree.

Ah ok so you don’t actually know….
There were LOTS of local parents present, and it has been said by many that these men weren’t detained. Which is why I said allegedly as I wasn’t personally there to witness it… sounds like you weren’t either!
Lets face it though, wouldn’t be the first (or last) time police haven't followed procedure

What difference would that make?

No I don't donate to charities supporting illegal migrants in the UK. As far as I am aware I don't think there are any charities set up to support illegal migrants in the UK. I donate, and volunteer with, charities and community groups that support asylum seekers though. As well as the RNLI.

If there are any charities whose role is to support illegal migrants in the UK, could you possibly list them?

Haha, perhaps not! But when people voted for Brexit, they voted to accept the consequences of Brexit.

Never mind, we have blue passports again now, eh?

France not a safe country anymore then ?

Curious that none of these many 'local' parents made a complaint to the police or went to the press, given they were so concerned by this thing that definitely absolutely 100% happened.

RNLI’s mission is to Save Every One

That’s it.

Anyone who disagrees with that is frankly immoral and sub-human

anyone who wishes to support the RNLI in their lifesaving endeavours can do sO here

https://rnli.org/

Well, the Dublin agreement would apply, allowing the UK to return small boat arrivals to France. But we left the EU. so we are not part of that agreement.

No one puts their child on a dinghy unless the water is safer than the land they are leaving.

1. not everyone assesses risk like you do
2. that the vast majority are single males not women and children kind of proves the point of the pp

Please RTFT and learn that you are wrong.

Have you missed all of the many, many threads on the prolific shoplifting in this country?

Literally nothing will happen to you. Staff are told not to confront shoplifters. Police won't come out for a few bottles of wine.

Why don't you reread it? Tired is answering what Elrig said: "No one puts their child on a dinghy unless the water is safer than the land they are leaving."

Are you suggesting there are no children on the small boats, and never has been? Or do you think the waters of the English Channel are safer than the land at Calais?

How many do you think were returned compared to taken under that agreement?

The migrants are frequently offered assistance by French authorities in French waters but decline because they want to come to England. Why should we constantly pick up the costs for people who pick and choose who is allowed to rescue them?

I think it depends where you live and if they know who you are/ walk to a car and drive off. If you are in a city centre and just walk out into the crowds, totally right it’s shocking. But there is a total split between people it’s easy to take action against and those it isn’t.

How many are genuine asylum seekers though?
My mums neighbour works in this field and says less than 1% of the people she’s processed (arriving not applying for asylum) are women and children… the rest are men lying about their age so they’re treated like children…. Most have no ID s we have no way of knowing if they’re escaping through fear or because they’re criminals on the run… no way of knowing if they’re a risk to us (terrorist gangs) and too many are now here to be able to keep track of… she says quite openly that we will soon be the minority, they have a very different view on culture and we will be at risk in the future.
That said we still can’t just let people drown. But the government need to
be returning these people and need to have a proper process in place that people can apply without first arriving here. At least that way we would know their identity and criminal history.

YADNBU. I think it's disgusting that people think they should pick and choose which lives are "worth" saving or not.
Far rather they were there to save anyone in difficulties and didn't discriminate.
The RNLI are amazing.

Let’s be real, they never were retuned to france.

Nigel Farage is a grifting liar who isnt fit to lick the boots of any of the brave, selfless volunteers of the RNLI.

YANBU @SanFranBear.

Kylie's "Can't Get You Out of my Head" displaces all earworms. Only one problem...

We often visit a town in North Norfolk where the RNLI spend a lot of their time fishing out overambitious kitesurfers.

With the small boats they're making a real difference rather than supporting a leisure activity.

I don't think the RNLI are wrong, but i do think it highlights the extremely selfish nature of these migrants putting not just their own but RNLI volunteer's own lives at risk to needlessly travel from a safe country to another safe country so they can get some benefits.

Even if it wasn't, how on earth would it be enforced?

Would they be called to an incident and evaluate whether they "looked" like migrants (huge risk of racial profiling!).

is farage suggesting the RNLI volunteers should shout questions from the British citizenship test at the floundering vessal?