Irish authorities have agreed to a second postmortem on the body of Yves Sakila, a 35-year-old Congolese man who died after being restrained by shop security guards on a Dublin street. The incident, which occurred on 15 May, has drawn comparisons to the death of George Floyd and intensified scrutiny of race relations in Ireland.
Sakila was allegedly shoplifting a bottle of perfume from Arnotts department store when he was pursued and pinned to the ground on Henry Street. Security guards detained him for about five minutes until police arrived and found him unresponsive. Footage of the incident, showing Sakila face down with one man appearing to kneel on his neck, was shared on social media.
Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, the foreign minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, visited Dublin last week to meet Sakila's family and Irish officials, including President Catherine Connolly and Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan. She described the family as 'traumatised' but 'trusting' that justice will be served. The family seeks to understand 'how such a demonstration of excessive force could happen in broad daylight.'
Protests and vigils have been held, with placards referencing Black Lives Matter. The case has heightened debate on race relations in Ireland, where some politicians and activists have linked immigration to housing and cost-of-living issues. Former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern was secretly recorded before Sakila's death saying, 'The ones I worry about are the Africans.'
Sakila had lived in Ireland since 2004, had convictions for theft, and was residing in a homeless shelter. During his pursuit, an elderly man was knocked over and broke a hip. A first postmortem was inconclusive, prompting a second to be conducted by Dr. David Rouse, a pathologist from Essex. The family's solicitor has submitted 41 questions to gardaí.
