Watch: Angry fisherman yells at RNLI volunteers trying to rescue migrants
1 December 2021, 11:02
Fisherman yells at RNLI over rescuing migrants
Watch the shocking moment a furious fisherman yelled at an RNLI crew as they prepared to launch a boat to rescue migrants.
In the video, which was taken at Hastings RNLI Lifeboat Station in Sussex, the fisherman can be heard shouting "don't bring no more back over here", referring to migrants the volunteers have been rescuing in recent weeks.
He then yelled: "That's why we stopped our donations."
The RNLI has since confirmed one of its crews was blocked from going on a call by fishermen who said they did not want any more migrants being rescued.
The incident was witnessed by an LBC caller, who phoned in to James O'Brien's show to recall what she had seen.
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Zoe, in Hastings, told James she could "hear the hatred in his voice", adding it was "really upsetting".
"The lifeboat crew pulled the boat out and were going to go into the water and some of the fishermen deliberately came out with their buckets and stood directly in the line of the boat so the boat couldn't be put in the water," she said.
"It really shook me to the core."
A spokesperson for the RNLI confirmed the incident had been reported to the police, and that the lifeboat was eventually able to launch.
In a statement, Sussex Police said: "Just after 4pm on Saturday, November 20, police were made aware of reports of a disturbance near to the Hastings RNLI Lifeboat Station.
"A police officer attended the scene while also being supported by colleagues monitoring the situation on CCTV."No arrests were made."
