A petition to rename a street in Northern Irelandnamed after a prominent 19th century slavery advocate has gathered steam on social media.
By Monday morning more than 620 people had signed the request on change.org asking authorities in Newry to rename John Mitchel Place, which honours a hero of Irish nationalism who went on to champion slavery in the United States. Newry also has a statue of Mitchel.
āIs a street named after a racist really the reflection we want shone on Newry in this modern, multicultural society?ā asked the petition organiser, Padraig Mac Cionnaith.
Mitchel grew up in Newry and became a leader of Young Ireland, a group that campaigned against British rule. He was deported in 1848 to a penal colony in Australia and escaped to the US, where he urged Americans to take pride in slavery.
Mac Cionnaith suggested authorities rename the street Equality Place or after the goalkeeper Pat Jennings or even Luv Bug, a Newry pop group which represented Ireland in the 1986 Eurovision.
pƔdraig | @iffygriffin (@iffygriffin)
I e-mailed the Newry councillors regarding John Mitchel Place earlier. I can provide text versions of the below if youād like one dm me! pic.twitter.com/fUTX2g0gqB