Justice for Yves!

On 15 May in Dublin five security guards crushed the life out of Yves Sakila, a Congolese man who had been living in Ireland for over 20 years. The brutal killing of this black man was committed in broad daylight outside Arnotts department store on Henry Street, the busiest shopping street in Ireland. Video footage clearly shows the security guards piled on top of Yves, with one repeatedly forcing his knee onto Yves’ neck. In minutes these guards had killed the 35-year-old homeless, former IT professional for the alleged “crime” of stealing a bottle of perfume.

The horrific killing sparked outrage across Ireland and abroad. Hundreds of people joined with the Congolese community at a vigil days later and at a protest outside Leinster House the following week. Many noted the similarity to the murder of George Floyd by a cop in Minneapolis, USA almost exactly six years earlier.

At the protest outside Leinster House on 21 May called by Black Coalition Ireland, hundreds of people chanted “No justice, no peace!”. Many of the speakers called for an independent enquiry amid chants of “No cover up, no delay!”.

An injury to one is the concern of all

The security guards who killed Yves Sakila work for Synergy Security Solutions, contracted by Arnotts department store which is part of the multi-billion pound British-based Selfridges Group. These thugs operate to protect the private property of the filthy rich.

Let there be no doubt that the killing of Yves Sakila was not just a terrifying message to the immigrant population of Ireland but to all workers and downtrodden. Amid an unprecedented housing crisis, high inflation and a country where the minimum wage has become the norm, there is rising despair throughout society. One of the main weapons of choice to keep “order” is for the ruling class to resort to the tactics of divide-and-rule. Not long before the killing of Yves, disgraced former taoiseach Bertie Ahern was filmed spewing racist crap against Congolese and Muslims while out canvassing for Fianna Fáil in the very district where Yves was later killed.

Unions must fight back against divide-and-rule

To combat this, the potential power of Ireland’s trade unions needs to be unleashed in struggles for wage rises above inflation, job protection, and a massive public housing scheme. But the historically militant trade unions are now led by acquiescent bureaucrats always ready to comply with demands for higher profitability from the government and the bosses, especially the multinationals.

Indeed, to date no major trade union in Ireland has issued a statement on the killing of Yves Sakila. SIPTU, Ireland’s largest trade union, proudly declares on its website that it represents “thousands of migrant workers from every continent and corner of the world” and yet only issued deafening silence from Liberty Hall, less than a kilometre from the site where Yves was killed. Indeed, SIPTU leaders would rather organise security guards than protest the killing by these thugs. Throw security guards out of the unions!

The voice of the over half a million union members, including tens of thousands of workers from immigrant backgrounds, must be heard, and their social power brought to bear in the struggle against homelessness, unemployment and a failing healthcare system. Mobilise the power of the unions, organise the unorganised!

“No cover up, no delay!”

There should be no reliance on the capitalist state to investigate its own crimes, or those committed by security guards. Indeed, the Gardaí are already refusing to issue the autopsy report from the killing for “operational reasons”. We join the protesters outside Leinster House demanding: No cover up, no delay! Justice for Yves!

29 May 2026