A Congolese man who had been living in Ireland for 20 years died after being violently restrained by security guards after an alleged shoplifting incident.
Footage of the incident showed Yves Sakila, 35, calling for help as he was pinned down for several minutes by at least five security guards. The knee of one guard was pushed on to Sakila’s neck.
Sakila eventually became unresponsive and was taken to Dublin’s Mater Hospital, where he was pronounced dead last Friday.
Dublin suspected shoplifter death
Anti-racism campaigners described the footage, which was widely circulated on social media, as reminiscent of the death in the United States of George Floyd in 2020. Floyd, 46, died after being arrested by police outside a shop in Minnesota, prompting widespread protests under the Black Lives Matter banner.
Hundreds of protesters gathered outside the Irish parliament on Thursday, holding “Justice for Yves” posters. A sign placed outside the Arnotts department store on Henry Street, where Sakila was detained, read: “Black lives matter here too.”
David Kaliba, a 35-year-old physics student who went to school with Sakila, said: “We call this a George Floyd moment. I can’t believe it happened in America in 2020 and happened in Ireland in 2026.”
The Irish Network Against Racism said that the case had the “hallmarks of a case of excessive use of force” and that the death of a black man in such circumstances was “extremely worrying”.
Natalia Campos/Reuters
Natalia Campos/Reuters
Brian Lawless/PA
Sakila, who was born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo but grew up in Galway, had one previous shoplifting conviction, having experienced challenges with homelessness and drug use.
A Garda spokesman said a man in his eighties was injured as the suspect attempted to flee the scene and was later taken to hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening. According to reports, when officers arrived, they handcuffed Sakila before realising he was unresponsive and performing CPR. The Garda has referred itself to Ireland’s police watchdog regarding the incident.
The spokesman said a post-mortem examination had been completed, “the results of which are not being released for operational reasons”.
Arnotts said it was “deeply saddened” by the events, adding: “No loss of life should ever be the outcome of a retail security incident. We recognise 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.”
Floyd was arrested in Minneapolis over his suspected use of a counterfeit $20 bill. A white police, officer, Derek Chauvin, knelt on his neck while he was pinned to the ground, as Floyd repeatedly said he could not breathe. His death prompted widespread protests across the world against police brutality and racism.