Peaceful protest organised in support of St Helier lifeboat crew

Monday 01 May 2017

A peaceful protest is being held this morning at the Jersey Boat Show to demonstrate Islanders' support for the St Helier lifeboat crew who resigned in protest at the treatment of their coxswain by the RNLI.

The protest is taking place at 12:00 by the Lifeboat Station on the Albert Pier.

Paul Battrick, a former lifeboat crew member, previously organised a similar protest shortly after the dismissal of local coxswain Andy Hibbs and the subsequent walkout of all crew members.

Mr Battrick told Express: "I would hope that this is going to show the RNLI the support for the St. Helier crew is not dwindling but rather getting stronger. Someone at the RNLI told me that this would all 'wash away' quickly but it's only getting bigger."

He also commented on the RNLI's decision to hold a stand at the Boat Show despite the on-going dispute, saying that it was an affront to the crew. "It is a very sad day for Jersey. The crew is getting kicked again. They offered to go back numerous times as the appeal goes through and the RNLI said no."

"I know these guys and they always feel very bad if they miss one shout. What they are going through just now, it can't be nice. The fact that the RNLI is taking so much time to resolve the situation, it's been 23 days, it's a disregard to Jersey, who have raised so much for the charity."

The call for the peaceful protest follows an appeal to boycott the charity during the Boat Show launched by the Jersey Action Group. Paul Battrick commented on the boycott saying: "Many boats were bought thanks to donations made by the people of Jersey, this will show how much our Island is worth. It will send a message that you can't mess with Jersey people."

"I'd rather be fundraising for the RNLI than be doing what I am doing now. All this bad publicity, this is not good, but it feels like we have no other choice."

It's still not clear what prompted the initial dispute, and the RNLI is currently hearing an appeal from Mr Hibbs about his dismissal. A spokesperson for the charity said that a "...fair and comprehensive internal review into the challenge and the processes that led to the decision" would be "...undertaken by objective RNLI staff who were not involved in the decision to stand down the volunteer or any related matters."