Thiago Cortes Vigil

Dublin, Ireland. September, 2020.

Thiago Cortes, 28, a Brazilian Deliveroo Rider, was killed in a hit-and-run by a 16 year old driver while working on Aug 31, 2020. Hundreds of Brazilians took to the streets to honor their countryman, demand justice and raise awareness for the Immigrants Lives Matter campaign, as many believe the hit-and-run was deliberate.

"Particularly, I think it may have been on purpose, yes. In Ireland, there is a history of a small group of people who, although not representative of the Irish population, attack delivery workers" said Teresa, Thiago's fiance, to the press.

The story had a strong repercussion in Irish and Brazilian newspapers, and the Brazilian community, of which I am a member, is indignant and saddened. Riders have been subjected to verbal and physical abuse from a specific group of teenagers and young people from various neighborhoods in Dublin's city center.

Problems like these, which are related to the riders safety, are quite common among workers in the sector; cyclists have extremely precarious working conditions in Ireland and around the world, protests and strikes have taken place in several countries, with very little improvement and return being given to cyclists, who are considered autonomous in Ireland and thus have very few rights and low wages.

While much of the media focused on the victim or on the teenagers who fit in the same profile of Cortes killers, the company Deliveroo was barely mentioned as being responsible for the safety of its riders.

Deliveroo continue to take little responsibility for the safety of its riders despite consistent revenue growth since its foundation and according to The New York Times are a member of the so-called "unicorn club," a group of privately held companies with valuations exceeding a billion dollars.

Thiago Cortes Tribute - One Year Death Anniversary

Dublin, Ireland. September 2021

Thiago Cortes' death anniversary was remembered yesterday evening with a memorial ceremony attended by friends and supporters. In Thiago's memory, his friends created a plaque with meaningful symbols which was mounted to a white bike.

A prayer was offered in both English and Portuguese by two priests who attended the memorial, one from Brazil and the other from Ireland.