UK charity draws flak for soliciting funds for illegal migrant rescues

"If someone is in trouble at sea and we are tasked by HM Coastguard, we will launch to help them – no matter who they are or where they come from, as we have been doing for more than 200 years," the RNLI said on its website.

Some critics of the RNLI have called it a "migrant taxi service" while others have raised concerns as to why the charity's funds are being used in operations that facilitate illegal migration.

On Saturday, February 14, anti-immigration groups held a protest outside the RNLI's headquarters in Poole to call on the organisation to focus on rescues in coastal waters instead of aiding individuals who wish to enter the UK illegally.