An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business
Seanad Éireann — 2026-05-27
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Sharon Keogan (IND), Industrial and Commercial Panel

I want to carefully address some of the public and media reactions following the tragic death of Yves Sakila because it raises serious concerns about consistency and fairness in how we discuss these issues. In recent days, footage emerged of African religious rituals being conducted outside Arnotts in response to Sakila's death, where the officiate tells the camera he is cursing death on all who enter the premises. That conduct has not been treated with the seriousness it warrants. In fact, it has been dismissed or trivialised. At the same time, we have laws in this country where a person praying quietly within 100 m of an abortion facility can face criminal sanctions. That is a contradiction that needs to be acknowledged. I have also heard from staff, of whom there are more than 300, and customers of Arnotts who are now worried about their safety. That concern should not be dismissed out of hand.
More broadly, I am troubled by the tone adopted by many in public discourse, including Members of this House, who referred to security guards involved as murderers. That is outrageous. It is jeopardisation of an ongoing investigation and if those men are found innocent, it will be defamation.
Meanwhile, we saw the murder of Alex Coughlan in the past week. In that case there were calls for restraint and, in fact, people were expressly urged not to share horrific footage. The question I ask is a simple one. Which standards are we applying? Either we speak freely or with caution. Both have pros and cons but we should be consistent and not switch for selective reasons based, dare I say, on the ethnicity of the victim and the accused. I and others have been accused of sowing hatred and division. I do not. Upholding double standards is what creates division. Pointing them out is about defending fairness, and fairness is the foundation of peace and harmony.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-05-27/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:55:00+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-05-27