Emer O'Neill: I was born here. I represented Ireland — when will I be Irish enough for the racists? 

Yves Sakila's death after an alleged attempted theft inspires EMER O'NEILL to ponder racism in Ireland — against immigrants, certainly, but also against black Irish people

A protest last Thursday outside Leinster House, Dublin, over the death of Congolese man Yves Sakila following an incident with security guards at a Dublin department store. Picture: Cillian Sherlock/PA

Thursday, May 21, 2026, is a day many people in Ireland will not forget.

Outside the Dáil, hundreds of people stood together in outrage, grief, and solidarity after the death of Yves Sakila, a Congolese-born man who had called Ireland home since he was a teenager.