Incident
On May 15, 2026, Yves Sakila, a Congolese-born man, was detained by security guards on a busy shopping street in Dublin in connection with an alleged shoplifting incident. During the restraint, he became unresponsive and was later pronounced dead.
Video Evidence
A video of the incident shows Sakila being pinned to the ground by at least five men for almost five minutes. Two of the men held his face to the ground, and at one point, one appeared to kneel on his head or neck for a few seconds.
"No cover up, no delay."
Protests
On May 21, 2026, hundreds of people protested outside Ireland's parliament, chanting "no cover up, no delay" and holding signs saying "Justice" and "cead mile failte (the Irish phrase for welcome) is for everyone."
Statements
David Kaliba, a physics student who attended school with Sakila, compared the incident to the killing of George Floyd.
Yemi Adenuga, a spokesperson for Black Coalition Ireland and a Fine Gael councillor, stated that the government has not put provisions in place to properly integrate immigrants, calling this "a recipe for chaos, anarchy and apathy."
Prime Minister Micheal Martin called for a thorough investigation and said the manner of death has caused huge concern.
Background
Ireland has experienced a sharp rise in anti-immigrant protests in recent years. In 2023, anti-immigrant activists helped trigger large-scale rioting in central Dublin, near where Sakila died.
Investigation
Police confirmed on May 21 that a post-mortem examination had been completed but that results are not being released for operational reasons.