Yves Sakila, a 35-year-old Congolese man, died after being restrained by security guards on a Dublin street on 15 May, prompting an outcry and comparisons to the death of George Floyd. Irish authorities have agreed to a second postmortem, to be conducted by a forensic pathologist from England.
The incident occurred near Arnotts department store, where Sakila allegedly stole a bottle of perfume. Security guards pursued him and pinned him to the ground for about five minutes until police arrived and found him unresponsive. Some of the incident was filmed and shared on social media.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo's foreign minister, Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, visited Dublin to meet Sakila's family and Irish officials. She said the family wanted to understand 'how such a demonstration of excessive force could happen in broad daylight' and ensure the case remained in the public eye.
The case has renewed scrutiny of race relations in Ireland, where some activists and politicians have linked immigration to housing and cost-of-living issues. Former taoiseach Bertie Ahern was secretly recorded saying, 'The ones I worry about are the Africans. We can’t be taking in people from the Congo and all these places.'
Sakila had lived in Ireland since 2004, had convictions for theft, and was living in a homeless shelter. During his pursuit, an elderly man was knocked over and broke a hip. The first postmortem was inconclusive, and the family's solicitor has submitted 41 questions to the police.
