Portsmouth Protests

[NoisyBrickDog]

Why are they all shouting "Shame on You" towards the police - when it was the RNLI who brought them all to shore?

Surly they should be shouting this towards the lifeboat crews....?

It wasn't clear from the OP although they've clarified it was the latter. My point still stands either way.

I don’t get why everyone is in favour of this level of immigration.

Who is everyone?

Thank you to your DH for doing what he does. The lives of those children are far more important than anything that racist idiots on the Internet might say.

Yes and the fact that the reason this boat was heading towards the IoW is because of the good job and the fact they had to find a new launch place.

The reason the boat went into Eastney is because both Portsmouth and Southampton refused them entry into port.

That hit of water is also extremely dangerous. I can’t believe the protestors got into the water. That out not them but also the emergency services who would have had to rescue them at risk.

however - donations to RLNI have done up today. At one point they had a voicemail to say they were too busy to answer their donation phone line due to a high number of calls.

They are not illegal entrants.

They are asylum seekers.

They are processed and either granted asylum or returned.

Illegal immigrants are those here illegally. Eg not claiming asylum or refused and not returned home. Or outstayed their visa.

Yes I’m local too. My dad was a coastguard based at Eastney towers!

also know local RNLI and ds and i support them and attend all the events.

I think there is a distinction to be made here. The RNLI do an amazing job in saving lives from vessels/ people in distress at sea. However what happened here was that the migrants set off from just west of Cherbourg, the French RNLI equivalent then met the migrant dinghy on the English side of the maritime divide (it did not shadow them or offer assistance or was anywhere near them or try to stop them).

Once on the English side, the migrants were transferred to two RNLI vessels and brought ashore. Which does raise the question why didn't the RNLI vessel simply return them to France - it was the same distance?

So the question is where does the RNLI stop becoming a well respected and much needed rescue service and starts to become a maritime taxi service?

Which does raise the question why didn't the RNLI vessel simply return them to France - it was the same distance?

How are you expecting volunteer RNLI crew to force an over crowded dinghy to go to France?

The French RNLi both met them and was nowhere near them? Can you explain this?

you make it sound like a handover from 2 RNLI boats.

Anyone spouting bollocks that the RNLI is a 'taxi service' is scum.

Just how fucking low can you get,

You don't, the migrants at this stage had been transferred to the RNLI vessels and their lives were no longer in danger. It was then a simple choice to head south and return them to Cherbourg or head north to Portsmouth. It was the same distance either way.

I hope that you don't think that the RNLI escorted the dinghy or towed it to Portsmouth?

So in this scenario the RNLI volunteers take everyone to to Cherbourg, and everyone is perfectly happy to return, and then they turn around and go home?

I doubt the RNLI had permission to use French waters or use their harbours.

They had enough trouble finding somewhere to land in the UK!

That's correct, International maritime rescue laws are in play here.
Maritime laws and lack of government agreements mean UK rescue vessels do not have the power to return people to foreign ports unless an agreement has been made with France for example, but such an agreement would be made via maritime agencies not rescue boats.
For info

https://www.infomigrants.net/en/post/60049/channel-crossings-why-britain-cannot-simply-send-back-migrants

Well presumably they are happy that their lives are no longer in danger which is the raison d'etre of the RNLI. Unless of course that they are unhappy about being returned to France in which case it shouldn't be the purpose of the RNLI to take them to a destination of their choosing.

Tbf this can only happen if there’s a deal in place for returns.

Please read my link

So you expect the RNLI to act completely outside their remit, break the law and possibly put their lives in more danger? And the lives of the migrants?

Certainly happy to explain this. So the migrant dinghy left France just west of Cherbourg it then travelled north to England. The French vessel left from east of Cherbourg and also headed north on a parallel route about 30 miles from the dinghy. Incidentally if the dinghy was in danger during this time then the French vessel was too far away to be of much use.

The French vessel, the two RNLI vessels and the migrant dinghy then all met at a point some 6 miles inside the UK / France maritime border. Again incidentally it seems that the French vessel had no problem being in UK waters, so I can't see why the reverse situation would be an issue.

The migrants were then transferred to the two RNLI vessels which then sailed for Portsmouth.

The French vessel then returned to France.

Which returns to my point - was this a rescue of a vessel in distress or was it a co ordinated (between France and UK) transfer of migrants to RNLI at the mid point and the RNLI then providing transport back to the UK?

Which returns to my point - was this a rescue of a vessel in distress or was it a co ordinated (between France and UK) transfer of migrants to RNLI at the mid point and the RNLI then providing transport back to the UK?

Are suggesting the RNLI was acting on some sort of instruction from the government to deliberately bring the migrants to the UK? Why and how would that happen?

OK let's look at this another way. Say I am in France on holiday and want to get back to the UK but can't afford the ferry fare.

So I then get someone to take me 13 miles in a boat to the midpoint of the Dover Calais area. Whereupon I phone the RNLI and ask for a lift home otherwise I will jump in the water.

Would this be a reasonable use of RNLI services?

Unless of course that they are unhappy about being returned to France in which case it shouldn't be the purpose of the RNLI to take them to a destination of their choosing.

Leaving aside the fact that the RNLI can only take them to the U.K., what are you imagining happens in this fantasy scenario on the lifeboat when they learn that the RNLI have decided to take them to France?

What do you think happens when the RNLI starts assessing whether people deserve to be saved from drowning?

youre still not being clear on what you think happened. Did British RNLI go to the border and pick up a boat of migrants?

How are you persuading this person to take you half way across the channel if you can’t afford a ferry ticket?

Why are they rescuing you when you appear to be on a seaworthy boat?