UK volunteer marine rescue organisation Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) has come under criticism following claims that it has been soliciting funds to facilitate rescues of illegal migrants.
The RNLI said recently that there are a number of local communities and businesses who are unwilling to donate funds that would have supported its efforts.
The charity, which claimed that it was not influenced by government policy, nonetheless assured its supporters that it would continue to solicit donations.
"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.