A Black man died after being pinned down by security guards after being accused of shoplifting. Comparisons are being made to George Floyd’s killing as public and political outrage continues to pour out over the use of force against the man and over cruel and racist comments being made online concerning the man’s death.
Black man dies after being pinned to the ground by security guards in Dublin
The BBC reported that demonstrators in Dublin have been protesting outside a shop where a Black man was pinned down by security guards after being accused of shoplifting. The man, 35-year-old Yves Sakila, was originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo but grew up in the Irish cities of Galway and Dublin. Last Friday, Sakila was accused of shoplifting at a store on Henry Street in Dublin, and he allegedly injured an elderly man in the store as he attempted to flee. Irish police, known as Gardaí, responded to the scene. After Sakila became unresponsive while being detained, he was transported to a local hospital, where he was soon declared dead.
Videos of the incident have circulated on social media, showing several men — apparently security guards — using their hands, knees and body weight to pin Sakila’s body, neck and head to the sidewalk. As a large crowd surrounds the scene, Sakila initially groans in apparent pain and attempts to move, with the guards continually pressing his head against the pavement. Eventually, Sakila goes limp, but the men continue to forcefully pin his head and body to the ground even as they and the crowd react to Sakila being unconscious. At one point in the video, one of the men who had been pressing Sakila’s head to the ground is seen making a phone call, his hands shaking as he holds the cellphone while standing over Sakila’s limp body.
Protests, pledges to ‘thoroughly’ investigate death
The death of Sakila has sparked outrage in Dublin and online, with many people comparing it to the 2020 murder of George Floyd. The Irish Network Against Racism calls the incident “very disturbing,” describing it as having the “hallmarks of a case of excessive use of force.” INAR told the BBC, “The death of a black man in such circumstances is extremely worrying, and we urge the authorities to thoroughly investigate all of the circumstances leading to this man’s death, in order to ensure minority ethnic community confidence in the criminal justice system.” Multiple politicians have responded, including Irish Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Micheál Martin, who declared, “My deepest sympathies go out to his family, and to the wider Congolese community,” while pledging that “the situation will have to be thoroughly investigated, and needs to be thoroughly investigated.” Demonstrators have protested outside the shop where Sakila was detained, and politicians, artists and community members gathered Thursday for protests outside the Irish Parliament, with cries of “Justice for Yves” ringing out.
While many citizens, NGOs and politicians across Ireland are expressing shock and outrage over the circumstances of Sakila’s death, online reactions have been polarized. Many posts on social media have condemned the security guards for excessive force. Others, however, have dismissed the outrage, blaming Sakila for his own death. “Yves Sakila didn’t die because he was resisting security like a budget George Floyd with a rap sheet for theft — no, no, it was systemic racism,” one social media post said mockingly. “It’s sad and unfortunate that he died but he’s only himself to blame,” said another post. INAR has also condemned explicitly racist posts and images about Sakila that have circulated on social media, explaining that “a tiny minority of bad actors, who have a social media presence and who are extremely well resourced from abroad, have for some years now been agitating to create a context in which black and minority people are habitually dehumanised.”
Racist trolls and negative social media comments have not muted the widespread outrage over Sakila’s death. With members of the public and high-ranking politicians alike calling for a full investigation into the actions that led to Sakila’s death, hopes remain that justice will ultimately prevail in Ireland.