Yves Sakila died after an alleged shoplifting incident in Dublin last Friday
Ireland’s Special Rapporteur on Racism and Racial Equality has called for an Independent investigation into the death of Yves Sakila.
Dr Ebun Joseph says she has written to the Minister for Justice, the Garda Commissioner, and the Executive Director of Fiosrú, expressing profound concern regarding the circumstances surrounding Mr Sakila’s death in Dublin last week.
Gardaí were alerted on Friday afternoon after security personnel detained Mr Sakila in connection with an alleged shoplifting incident. During the incident, a man in his 80s was injured as the suspect attempted to flee the scene.
The Irish Network Against Racism described a video of the incident, which shows Mr Sakila being held on the ground for almost five minutes as “very disturbing”.
It said he is heard shouting in distress as he is being detained but by the end of the video he appears to be motionless. The 35-year-old man was later pronounced dead at the Mater Hospital.
Over 100 people joined a vigil for Yves Sakila in Dublin on Tuesday, May 19. A member of the Congolese community, 35-year-old Sakila died late last week after being violently restrained and pinned to the ground in front of a shop by a group of men, including private security guards. Another protest action has already been announced for Thursday.
Media reports suggest Sakila was assaulted after being accused of shoplifting. “A very disturbing 4m44s video has since emerged which appears to show the man on the ground being subdued by several men, who appear to be security guards and management at Arnotts,” the Irish Network Against Racism (INAR) stated on May 18.
“One of the men is seen to shift his weight onto his knee to drive it into the neck and head region of the subdued man,” the network added. “The man on the ground is heard shouting in distress as several men are kneeling on his body and the men shout several times for him to ‘stay down’ while holding his neck and pinning his body to the ground with their combined weight.”
“By the end of the 4m44s video we have seen, the man appears motionless.”
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Palestinians inspect the destruction of a residential building belonging to the Abu Shamala family following an Israeli air strike at the Bureij camp in the central Gaza Strip, Palestine on May 20, 2026. [Moiz Salhi – Anadolu Agency]
A senior UN official said Thursday that a return to full-scale war in the Gaza Strip would have “disastrous consequences” for civilians, while cautioning that worsening violence and illegal Israeli settlement expansion across the occupied Palestinian territory are deepening instability, Anadolu reports.
“As I brief you today, the situation across the Occupied Palestinian Territory is increasingly precarious,” Ramiz Alakbarov, UN deputy special coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, said at a UN Security Council session to discuss the latest report of the Board of Peace for Gaza.
He said tensions in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, continue to intensify as “settlement expansion, settler-related violence, and incitement continue to drive tensions.”
Turning to Gaza, Alakbarov said momentum generated by the ceasefire has weakened amid delays in implementing UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 2803 and continued violence.
“In Gaza, delays in the implementation of UNSCR 2803, alongside daily violence and a continuing humanitarian crisis, have replaced the early momentum following the ceasefire,” he said.
As discussions continue advancing to the second phase of the ceasefire deal, he warned against growing calls for renewed hostilities.
“As talks on advancing to Phase II of the ceasefire continue, calls are emerging in some circles for a resumption of widespread hostilities. This would have disastrous consequences for the population of Gaza,” he said. “Let me be clear: the people of Gaza cannot take more war. This scenario must be avoided at all costs.”
Alakbarov emphasized that the implementation of Resolution 2803 remains urgent. “The implementation of Resolution 2803 cannot wait. All elements of the Comprehensive Plan are interconnected and must be implemented in full.”
He said civilians in Gaza continue to face uncertainty as Israeli strikes occur “on a nearly daily basis, killing dozens.”
Despite limited improvements, humanitarian conditions remain severe, according to Alakbarov.
“The reopening of Zikim crossing in mid-April and a limited increase in the volume of aid are welcome improvements. However, humanitarian operations remain heavily constrained by limited operational crossings, restrictions on critical humanitarian items that Israel considers ‘dual-use,’” he said.
Alakbarov said he witnessed devastation and resilience among Palestinians during a recent visit to Gaza.
Addressing the occupied West Bank, Alakbarov said Israeli authorities advanced plans for more than 640 housing units in Area C and over 1,620 units in the settlement of Pisgat Zeev in East Jerusalem during the reporting period.
He also said five Palestinians, including two children, were killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank, while 156 others, including 20 children, were injured by Israeli forces or Israeli occupiers.
“Throughout the West Bank, the frequency and severity of settler attacks have significantly increased in 2026, with some 220 Palestinian communities having faced attacks, which are increasingly leading to the displacement of entire communities,” he said.
“We cannot ignore the current alarming trends or their dire implications for Palestinians, Israelis, and the entire region. This is the moment to take urgent steps to reverse these dangerous dynamics,” he added.
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.Orcas discuss Donald Trump and the killer apes’ concept of democracy. Front Orca warns that Trump is crashing his country’s economy and that everything he does he does for the fantastically wealthy.
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Members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) participate in a military exercise aimed at “increasing combat capabilities” in Tehran province, Iran, on May 12, 2026. [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps – Anadolu Agency]
US intelligence believes that Iran resumed parts of its drone production during the six-week ceasefire with Washington that started in early April, signaling a rapid recovery of some military capabilities damaged by US-Israeli strikes, CNN reported Thursday.
Intelligence assessments suggest Iran’s military is rebuilding far more quickly than expected, said the report, which cited US intelligence officials.
The effort includes restoring missile sites, launch systems and manufacturing capacity for critical weapons that were damaged or destroyed during the conflict.
Officials reportedly warned that the rapid recovery means Iran could still pose a major threat to regional allies if US President Donald Trump decides to resume military operations.
The assessments also raised doubts about how severely US-Israeli strikes weakened Iran’s military in the long term.
One official said that some intelligence estimates indicate Iran could restore its drone strike capabilities within six months.
“The Iranians have exceeded all timelines the IC (intelligence community) had for reconstitution,” said the official.
Sources reportedly said Iran’s unexpectedly fast recovery is being driven by several factors, including assistance from Russia and China, as well as the possibility that US and Israeli attacks caused less damage than initially anticipated.
Regional tensions have escalated since the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran on Feb. 28. Tehran retaliated with strikes targeting Israel as well as US allies in the Gulf, along with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
A ceasefire took effect April 8 through Pakistani mediation, but talks in Islamabad failed to produce a lasting agreement. Trump later extended the truce indefinitely while maintaining a blockade on vessels traveling to or from Iranian ports through the Strait of Hormuz.
Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Strait of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don’t need people to join wars after they’ve already won. He’s challenged with the claim that he lies as much as the IDF.Orcas discuss how Trump was re-elected and him being an obviously insane, xenophobic Fascist.
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A screen grab captured from CCTV videos shows Israeli forces attacking ‘Alcyone’ and ‘Girolama’ vessels of the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla at Mediterranean Sea, on May 19, 2026. [Global Sumud Flotilla – Anadolu Agency]
At least 87 activists from the Global Sumud Flotilla began a hunger strike on Tuesday in protest against what they described as their abduction by Israel and in solidarity with more than 9,500 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.
In a post on X, the flotilla said that, for the second time in three weeks, the Israeli army — which it said claims to be “the most moral army” — had abducted their comrades from international waters.
It added: “In protest of their illegal abduction and in solidarity with the over 9,500 Palestinian hostages held in Israeli dungeons, at least 87 flotilla participants have committed to a hunger strike until they are released.”
The Global Sumud Flotilla called for the release of all detainees held by Israeli authorities and urged governments to condemn what it described as an act of piracy.
Late on Tuesday, Israel’s Foreign Ministry confirmed in a statement that all 430 activists aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla had been seized and transferred to Israeli vessels.
It said: “All 430 activists have been transferred to Israeli ships and are on their way to Israel, where they will be able to meet their consular representatives.”
Earlier on Tuesday, the Global Sumud Flotilla crisis operations room said the Israeli army had “illegally intervened against all flotilla ships in international waters and detained the activists”.
It added that the last vessel intercepted was the Lina al-Nabulsi.
According to the statement, the flotilla consists of 50 ships carrying 428 activists from 44 countries, including 78 Turkish participants.
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.Orcas discuss Donald Trump and the killer apes’ concept of democracy. Front Orca warns that Trump is crashing his country’s economy and that everything he does he does for the fantastically wealthy.
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Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares delivers a speech at the Hertie School Jacques Delors Centre within his visit to Berlin, Germany on May 20, 2026. [Ayhan Şimşek – Anadolu Agency]
Spain summoned Israel’s charge d’affaires on Wednesday after Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares condemned what he described as the “monstrous,” “inhumane” and “disgraceful” treatment of activists aboard a Gaza-bound flotilla, Anadolu reports.
In a video message shared on the US social media platform X, Albares said: “I have seen a horrific, inhumane and disgraceful video in which members of the flotilla were treated unjustly and humiliatingly by an Israeli minister and the police.”
Among them, he noted, were Spanish citizens on the flotilla, calling the incident “deeply alarming.”
“I repeat, this treatment is monstrous, it is disgraceful, it is inhumane,” Albares added, demanding “a public apology from Israel.”
The Spanish minister said Madrid had urgently summoned the Israeli charge d’affaires to convey Spain’s “complete rejection,” “utter condemnation” and “profound revulsion” over what he described as “abominable and unacceptable treatment.”
He also said Spain is seeking the immediate release of those aboard the flotilla and would contact other countries whose citizens were involved to coordinate possible measures.
Albares noted that Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who appears in the footage, had already been sanctioned by Spain and barred from entering the country.
“And soon the same thing will happen across the entire European Union,” he said.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez deplored the video in which the Israeli minister is “humiliating” flotilla participants as “unacceptable.”
In a X post, he said, “We will not tolerate anyone mistreating our citizens.”
He noted the national territory ban against Ben-Gvir that he announced in September. “Now we are going to push in Brussels for these sanctions to be elevated to the European scale on an urgent basis,” he wrote.
The remarks came after a video posted by Ben-Gvir showed detained activists zip-tied and forced to kneel after being detained by Israeli forces in international waters.
The Global Sumud humanitarian aid flotilla said on Tuesday that all 50 vessels in its aid convoy had been seized by Israel.
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Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.Orcas discuss Donald Trump and the killer apes’ concept of democracy. Front Orca warns that Trump is crashing his country’s economy and that everything he does he does for the fantastically wealthy.
