Video shows approach that resulted in the death of Congolese in Ireland

Witness footage shows security guards restraining a Congolese-born man on a Dublin shopping street. He fell unconscious at the scene and was later pronounced dead.

Reuters verified the location using the buildings, sidewalk and streetlights seen in the video, which matched archival footage of the area. The date of recording the video, which took place on Friday (15), was confirmed by an official statement from the Irish police.

Irish police said the man, called Yves Sakila, was detained by security guards on Dublin's busy Henry Street in connection with an alleged shoplifting.

A video of the incident, shared on social media, shows Yves Sakila being pinned to the ground by several people for almost five minutes. At one point, one of them appears to kneel on his head or neck.

Police reported that investigations into the full circumstances of the incident are ongoing. An 80-year-old man was also injured at the scene when Sakila tried to escape. Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin has called for a full investigation into the incident that shocked the country.

Wave of protests
Hundreds of people protested in front of the Irish parliament to express outrage at the death of Yves Sakila.

"I can't believe this happened in America in 2020 and in Ireland in 2026," said Kaliba, who, like Sakila, moved to Ireland at a young age.

He described his former classmate, who worked in IT before recently becoming homeless, as a quiet, shy person who was not aggressive.

"When you watch this video, it is literally a reenactment of what happened to George Floyd," said Yemi Adenuga, spokesperson for the Black Coalition Ireland.

Adenuga, a councilor for the ruling Fine Gael party and the first black woman elected to political office in Ireland in 2019, said the government had failed to implement measures to properly integrate the country's growing number of immigrants and that this was "a recipe for chaos, anarchy and apathy."

There has been a sharp rise in anti-immigration protests in Ireland in recent years. Anti-immigration activists helped spark large-scale riots in central Dublin in 2023, close to where Sakila died.

Watch the video

https://admin.cnnbrasil.com.br/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2026/05/ED_AGR_230526_IL_ABORDAGEM_IRLANDA.mxf_.mp4

Source: CNN