Key Takeaways
- Yves Sakila died after being restrained by security guards outside a Dublin department store on May 15.
- Video of the incident circulated online, prompting protests outside Ireland’s parliament and comparisons to George Floyd.
- Family members, civil liberties groups, and public officials are calling for a full, transparent, and independent investigation as authorities withhold postmortem results.
Protesters in Ireland are demanding answers after the death of Yves Sakila, a Congolese-born man whose final moments during a restraint incident in Dublin have sparked outrage and comparisons to George Floyd.
According to Reuters, hundreds of people gathered outside Ireland’s parliament on Thursday (May 21) after Sakila died following an encounter with security guards outside a department store last Friday (May 15). Police said Sakila was detained in connection with an alleged shoplifting incident before he became unresponsive at the scene and was later pronounced dead.
Video of the incident, which spread across social media, appears to show Sakila pinned to the ground by at least five men for nearly five minutes as bystanders watched. Two men appeared to hold his face to the ground, and one appeared to kneel on his head or neck for several seconds. David Kaliba, a former classmate of Sakila’s, told Reuters, “We call this a George Floyd moment.”
Yemi Adenuga, a spokesperson for Black Coalition Ireland and the country’s first elected Black female politician, also drew the comparison. “When you look at that video, it literally is like a reenactment of what happened to George Floyd,” she said. Protesters outside parliament chanted, “No cover up, no delay,” while others held signs reading “Justice” and “céad míle fáilte is for everyone,” using an Irish phrase often translated as “a hundred thousand welcomes.”
Sakila’s family and community want transparency
The Journal reported that the solicitor representing Sakila’s family said relatives had not yet been informed of the initial results of a postmortem examination. He called for an “effective, transparent investigation” and said the family needed answers urgently in case an independent pathologist’s review becomes necessary.
Black Coalition Ireland called for political leaders to act, while Dr. Ebun Joseph, Ireland’s Special Rapporteur for Racial Equality and Racism, requested a “full, transparent, independent and timely” investigation. The Journal also reported that the Irish Council for Civil Liberties described the footage as “deeply distressing” and said it appeared to show “a disproportionate and excessive use of force” by people who seemed to be security personnel.
Ireland’s national police service, An Garda Síochána, said a postmortem examination has been completed, but results are not being released for operational reasons. Authorities said they recovered CCTV and social media footage, appointed a senior investigating officer, opened an incident room at Store Street Garda Station, and are asking witnesses who were on Henry Street around the time of the incident on May 15 to come forward.
Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin has called for a full investigation, telling parliament that the circumstances surrounding Sakila’s death are “deeply concerning.”