Yves Sakila, 35, was pronounced dead in hospital after he was held on the ground outside Arnotts store in Dublin, Ireland, on May 15

Sakila, an immigrant from Congo was accused of shoplifting expired while being pinned down by security guards

Viral footage shows Sakila pinned to the pavement by several men for almost five minutes, with one guard appearing to place a knee on the back of his head or neck as shoppers

The incident has been referred for investigation to the Garda Ombudsman or Fiosrú, an independent body responsible for overseeing police actions

Irish Network Against Racism expressed concern that excessive force may have been used against Sakila and said in a statement that ‘the death of a black man in such circumstances is extremely worrying

Hundreds of people protested outside Ireland’s parliament on Thursday to express outrage at Sakila’s death’

Yves Sakila, [photo], 35, was pronounced dead in hospital after he was held on the ground outside Arnotts on May 15, over an alleged shoplifting incident. Born in Congo, Sakila moves to Ireland at 13. According to a former classmate, he worked in IT before becoming homeless recently

The a foreign born national while being restrained by security guards outside a department store in Dublin, on suspicion of in store theft has caused disquiet amongst the immigrant community and The Irish Network Against Racism, (INAR).
Yves Sakila who came to Ireland as a teenager 22 years ago, was pronounced dead in hospital after he was held on the ground outside an Arnotts store on Friday afternoon last week, following the alleged theft of perfume bottles from the store.
Protesters outside Ireland’s parliament on Thursday to expressed outrage at the death of ‌the 35-year-old black man after he was restrained outside a department store in an incident some compared to the 2020 killing of George Floyd.
Viral footage of the incident shows Sakila pinned to the pavement by several men for almost five minutes, with one guard appearing to place a knee on the back of his head or neck as shoppers watched on.
Mothers pushing prams could be seen watching on as Sakila screamed while guards shouted: ‘Stay down.’ 
After more than three minutes, Sakila appeared unresponsive, and the guards released him. One guard was seen pulling up his hood while appearing shaken as he made a phone call.

Footage shared online appears to show Yves Sakila pinned to the pavement by several men for almost five minutes, with one guard appearing to place a knee on the back of his head or neck

Members of the public watched as Sakila screamed while guards shouted: ‘Stay down.’ 

The Garda [Irish national police], said security personnel detained Sakila shortly after 5pm in connection with an alleged shoplifting incident before he became unresponsive at the scene.  The victim was taken to hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
Born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Yves Sakila had been living in Ireland from the age of 13, in 2004. According to a former classmate, he worked in IT before becoming homeless recently.
The footage has been described as ‘deeply disturbing’ and has sparked anger among Ireland’s minority communities. Ireland’s Prime Minister Micheál Martin said the incident must be ‘thoroughly investigated’. 
‘The full circumstances of what happened need to be examined and investigated fully and thoroughly. The situation is deeply concerning,’ he told parliament on Tuesday.
Police said an investigation into all the circumstances surrounding the incident remains ongoing.
Officers also said a man in his 80s was injured at the scene as Sakila allegedly attempted to flee.
The incident has been referred for investigation to the Garda Ombudsman or Fiosrú, an independent body responsible for overseeing police actions. 

After more than three minutes, Sakila appeared unresponsive and the guards released him. He was transported to hospital where he was pronounced dead

The Irish Network Against Racism, (INAR), expressed concern that excessive force may have been used against Sakila and said in a statement that ‘the death of a black man in such circumstances is extremely worrying.’
Hundreds of people protested outside Ireland’s parliament on Thursday to express outrage at Sakila’s death.
The protesters outside parliament chanted ‘no cover up, no delay’ and ‘justice for Yves, dignity for all’.
Some held signs saying ‘Justice’ and ‘cead mile failte’ (the Irish phrase for welcome) is for everyone.’
Another hand-written sign said ‘Yves, your life mattered, black lives matter.’ 
The incident has revived memories of George Floyd, a Black Minneapolis man killed by a police officer who knelt on his neck for several minutes during an arrest in May 2020. 
Floyd’s death triggered the Black Lives Matter movement in the United States and sparked protests across the country against police brutality and racism.

People stand near flowers laid outside a department store on Henry Street, Dublin, where Yves Sakila was restrained by security guards last week and later pronounced dead in hospital

Members of of the public join the Congolese community at a vigil in honor of Yves Sakila at the store’s location on Henry Street, one the busiest streets in Dublin – with most seeking ‘Justice for Sakila’

Police said on Thursday that they had recovered footage from CCTV and social media, and were looking to speak with anyone who was close to Arnotts, one of the country’s best known department stores.
A post-mortem examination has been completed and the results are not being released for operational reasons, they added.
On Wednesday, passers-by stopped on Henry Street on Wednesday, where flowers were laid at the spot where Sakila was detained.
The video of the incident has been widely shared online.
‘I couldn’t sleep at night. I just kept watching it (the video) time over time,’ said Sanaa Basit, who moved to Ireland from Sudan 10 years ago.
Laure Zoya, vice president of the Congolese Community in Ireland group, said its members, who she said were among the first black communities to move to Ireland, were shocked, disturbed and no longer felt safe.
Sakila moved to Ireland when he was very young, she added, ‘The Ireland that they knew 30 years ago is no longer the same.’

Public outrage over the alleged use of excessive force by the security guards in the arrest is wide spread

Ireland’s Congolese community are hugely outraged by the incident. The death was ‘painful’. . . ‘I was shocked. How many white people come to the Congo and steal diamonds and gold and everything?’, said one young protester woman with Congolese antecedents

On Tuesday at noon, dozens of people gathered at a vigil in Henry Street and left red roses and flowers at a site along the busy shopping street.
The crowd chanted ‘Justice for Yves’ and ‘no more violence’, and carried handmade signs, including one that said ‘Black lives matter here too’.
People expressed their shock at his death.
One mourner, Chris Kibiadi said, ‘It’s not all about the color, I’d be out here for anybody. It could happen to anybody, it could happen to you, it could happen to me.’
For Dublin resident Lolo, gardai should have been called in the incident and said the death was ‘painful’. . . ‘I was shocked. How many white people come to the Congo and steal diamonds and gold and everything?’.
Another member of the Congolese community John Kabongo, addressing the crowd of protesters said, ‘We’re asking for justice to be done. No matter where you’re from, black or white, this is not fair.’

‘Black lives matter here too’ – Mpho Mokotso from the Irish Network Against Racism, addressing the protest over the killing of Sakila, outside Leinster House, Dublin, on Thursday

Addressing the crowd, Kabongo said ‘Bertie Ahern, watch your mouth next time,’ after the former Prime Minister said ‘we can’t be taking in people from the Congo’ while campaigning as part of the Dublin Central by-election.
Ahern has apologized for any offense his comments may have caused.
Walter Kabangu, director of communications of the Congolese Chamber of Commerce in Ireland, said he was ‘shocked and saddened’ at the incident.
‘As a community, as a whole, we demand justice to what happened,’ he said.
‘We don’t want more violence to take place. I went to the same secondary school as Yves as well, so to see those images was shocking and very sad.’
“I can’t believe it happened in America in 2020 and happened in Ireland in 2026,” said Kaliba, who like Sakila moved to Ireland from the Democratic Republic of Congo at a young age. He described his old classmate as a quiet and shy person who was not aggressive.
“When you look at that video, it literally is like a reenactment of what happened to George Floyd,” said Yemi Adenuga, a spokesperson for Black Coalition Ireland.
Adenuga, a councilor for the governing Fine Gael party who became Ireland’s first elected Black female politician in 2019, said the government had failed to put provisions in place to properly integrate the country’s rising number of immigrants and that this was “a recipe for chaos, anarchy and apathy”.
There has been a sharp rise in anti-immigrant protests in Ireland in recent years. Anti-immigrant activists helped trigger large-scale rioting in central Dublin in 2023, close to where Sakila died.

‘No cover up, no delay’ and ‘justice for Yves, dignity for all.’ chanted the protesters gathered outside Leinster House, Dublin, demanding justice in Sakila’s death

The video of his death has shocked the nation and been described by lawmakers in parliament as “distressing” and “disturbing”. In the aftermath of the tragedy,
Prime Minister Micheal Martin repeated calls on Thursday for a thorough investigation and said the manner in which Sakila died has caused huge concern across society.
Earlier on Tuesday, the PM expressed his ‘deepest sympathies go out to his family, and to the wider Congolese community,’ adding ‘The situation will have to be thoroughly investigated, and needs to be thoroughly investigated. . .’I don’t want to prejudice the outcome of that investigation but I think a lot of people are clearly very concerned about what has transpired here.’
the INAR has said they are ‘extremely disturbed’ by reports of Sakila’s death: ‘The death of a black man in such circumstances is extremely worrying, and we urge the authorities to thoroughly investigate all of the circumstances leading to this man’s death, in order to ensure minority ethnic community confidence in the criminal justice system,’ the organization’s director, Shane O’Curry, said.
Store owners, Arnotts, said in a statement: ‘Our heartfelt sympathies go to his family, his friends, and the wider Congolese community in Ireland, who are grieving his loss.
‘No loss of life should ever be the outcome of a retail security incident.
‘We recognize the deep hurt and concern this tragedy has caused within Dublin’s Congolese community and among the wider public, and we take those concerns with the utmost seriousness.’