The father of a man being likened to ‘Ireland’s George Floyd’ discovered his son’s death through a distressing video and is now calling for justice.
Heart-wrenching footage depicts Yves Sakila, a 35-year-old Congolese man who had resided in Ireland for over two decades, restrained by security staff outside Arnotts on Dublin’s Henry Street. The video reveals Mr. Sakila struggling to lift himself with his right hand while pinned down for nearly five minutes.
Mr. Sakila, who faced homelessness and battled addiction, was pronounced dead last Friday evening at Mater Hospital.
A post-mortem examination performed earlier this week yielded inconclusive results. Authorities are currently waiting for toxicology reports to shed more light on the incident.
Alain Sakila, Yves’s father, who resides in Belgium, announced his intention to travel to Dublin, stating his determination to seek justice for his son.
Now, Mr Sakila’s father, Belgium-based Alain Sakila, this week said he is flying to Dublin in a bid ‘to get justice for my son’.
Mr Sakila, 56, who works as a pushback driver for Air France planes, only learned of his son’s death after receiving a video of the incident while at work.
He described the video as ‘horrific’ and ‘shocking’.
A video of the incident shows Mr Sakila being pinned to the ground by at least five men for almost five minutes as bystanders watched
It comes as the heads of a security company employed by a Dublin store also flew in from the UK this week as the garda investigation into his death intensified.
The directors of Synergy Security Solutions, who have over 1,500 employees globally, arrived in the capital on Tuesday.
The gardaí have also appointed a senior investigative office to head up the probe into his death.
In the wake of Mr Sakila’s death, hundreds of people gathered outside Leinster House this week demanding ‘justice’ for the Congolese national’s death.
A solicitor for the family claimed the alleged shoplifter died ‘as a consequence of a bottle of perfume’.
Ireland’s Special Rapporteur on Racism and Racial Equality has called for an independent investigation into Mr Sakila’s death.
Dr Ebun Joseph said she has written to Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan, Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly and the Garda Ombudsman, Fiosrú, expressing her concern about the circumstances surrounding Mr Sakila’s death.
Gardaí were alerted last Friday afternoon after security personnel detained Mr Sakila in connection with an alleged shoplifting incident.
Hundreds of people gathered outside Leinster House this week demanding ‘justice’ for the Congolese national’s death
Mr Sakila’s father, Alain Sakila, this week said he is flying to Dublin in a bid ‘to get justice for my son’
During the incident, a man in his 80s was injured as the suspect attempted to flee the scene.
The Irish Network Against Racism described a video of the incident, which shows Mr Sakila being held on the ground for almost five minutes, as ‘very disturbing’.
It said the detained man is initially heard shouting in distress, but by the end of the video he appears to be motionless.
In a statement, Dr Joseph said the footage has ’caused profound distress, fear, and outrage across many communities, particularly among black and minority ethnic communities who already experience heightened anxiety regarding racial profiling, excessive force, unequal treatment, and over-policing in public spaces’.
She added: ‘The scenes depicted are deeply disturbing and raise urgent and serious questions which require comprehensive examination.’
The Special Rapporteur also expressed concerns about what she described as the normalisation of hostility toward migrants, black communities, and minority ethnic groups within public discourse and wider society.
‘This incident does not exist in isolation. It emerges within a broader social and political climate in which increasingly hostile rhetoric surrounding migrants, refugees, racialised minorities, and black communities has become more visible and, at times, normalised within public discourse,’ Dr Joseph said.
‘Such rhetoric contributes to the dehumanisation of vulnerable communities and risks creating an environment in which violence, suspicion, and unequal treatment become more socially tolerated.’
People stand near flowers laid outside a department store on Henry Street where Mr Sakila was restrained by security guards
The Ministry for Foreign Affairs of the Democratic Republic of the Congo said it has taken steps to ensure that an independent investigation into the death of Mr Sakila is carried out in Ireland.
In a statement posted on X, the Ministry said it is following the case ‘with deep emotion and serious concern’.
The ministry said it has taken diplomatic and consular steps to establish the exact circumstances of Mr Sakila’s death and to ensure that an ‘independent, transparent and diligent investigation is conducted’.
Gardaí investigating Mr Sakila’s death said they have recovered footage from CCTV and social media of the incident.
They are looking to speak with anyone who was on Henry Street between Moore Street and Coles Lane between 5pm and 5.25pm last Friday, May 15.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Store Street Garda Station on 01 666 8000, the Garda Confidential Line, or any garda station.
