The RNLI has condemned online and physical abuse directed at its volunteers and staff amid what the charity says is “deliberate misinformation” surrounding its rescue operations in the English Channel.

The lifesaving charity said its crews are tasked by HM Coastguard to respond to people in distress at sea regardless of their identity or circumstances.

It comes amid increased scrutiny of Channel crossings and the role played by rescue organisations responding to small boats in difficulty.

In a statement, the RNLI said: “The RNLI is a charity that exists to save lives at sea. But recent events have generated deliberate misinformation and a misunderstanding about our purpose and our lifesaving work in the Channel.

“As a result, some of our volunteers and staff have been the subject of online and, in some cases, physical abuse. This is unacceptable.”

The charity defended its volunteers, saying they had spent more than 200 years rescuing people at sea “without judgment, fear or favour”.

It added: “We are tasked by HM Coastguard to help those in distress, and we’ll do so whenever, wherever and whoever they are.”

The RNLI also released figures showing that Channel operations accounted for a small proportion of its overall rescue work last year.

Its lifeboats launched 9,058 times during 2025, of which 109 launches involved people in distress in the Channel – around 1.2% of the charity’s total rescue operations.

The RNLI stressed that anyone rescued from a small boat by one of its crews is subsequently handed into the care of the relevant UK authorities.

It added: “To those who stand with the RNLI, thank you. For more than two hundred years, we’ve saved lives at sea around the UK and Ireland, and that commitment remains unchanged.”