Hundreds of people joined a protest demanding justice for Yves Sakila near the Dáil, the Irish Parliament, on Thursday, May 21. “Justice for Yves – dignity for all,” the protestors chanted, insisting that swift action be taken to investigate Sakila’s death, which occurred on May 15 after security guards pinned him to the ground with their full weight in front of a shop in central Dublin.
“It was an incredible showing where people from different communities came together to say no to racism and to make sure that Yves Sakila’s name lives on,” said co-founder of the organization Black & Irish, Leon Diop, following the protest.
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The protest also demanded institutional accountability and universal respect of human rights. It included speeches, poetry, and music, all touching upon the context in which Sakila’s death occurred: legislation issues, accountability gaps, and the growth of racist and anti-immigrant discourse. Speakers demanded meaningful training – “not just box-ticking” – on bias, stronger safeguards against excessive force by security personnel, and the protection of Black and ethnic minorities “in practice, not just on paper.”
“Politicians must be held to account for language that creates conditions for violence,” one speaker emphasized, echoing points raised during a press conference ahead of the protest. There, speakers pointed to a context of growing anti-migrant sentiment in Ireland, marked by “hatred and unfettered hostility towards migrants,” supported by behavior from a significant part of the political establishment. “That context is enabled by poor leadership of political leaders, past and present, and their distasteful comments,” one speaker said.
Source: AkiDwA Network of Migrant Women/Facebook
“We cannot deny racism anymore,” the Irish Network Against Racism (INAR) said during the protest. “We should not deny that racism exists in Ireland, and it’s our responsibility to call out racism and support those who are experiencing racism. Let us not be bystanders and watch when people are being held and killed.”
Organizations involved in the protest coordination, including the Black Coalition Ireland, INAR, and the Congolese Community in Ireland, emphasized that, in addition to a full and transparent inquiry into the events of May 15, political leaders should ensure a comprehensive response to the concerns of Black and ethnic minorities in Ireland. “Black and ethnic minority communities have long raised concerns about stereotyping, racial profiling, and unequal treatment,” social psychologist Dr. Mamobo Ogoro warned at the press conference.
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Sakila’s death has sharpened such concerns. “This incident has sent fear, anger, and heartbreak through Black and African communities, as well as Irish society more broadly,” the Black Coalition Ireland wrote before the protest. “It raises urgent and difficult questions about the use of force, accountability, potential bias, and the dignity and humanity afforded to Black people in moments of vulnerability and crisis.”
The protest was attended by many progressive and left groups in Ireland and was announced as the beginning of shaping a stronger anti-racist block to build a society that can adequately address the needs of all its inhabitants.
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