ONLINE petitions calling for republican John Mitchel's statue and name to be removed from a street in Newry have gained more than 1,000 signatures.
The campaign follows anti-racism protests sweeping the globe which led to a statue of Edward Colston in Bristol being thrown into the harbour.
Mitchel, originally from Co Derry before moving to Newry, was a 19th century Young Irelander.
While living in the United States, he openly espoused racist and pro-slavery views.
A petition by Padraig MacCionnaith calling for John Mitchel Place to be renamed has attracted about 1,000 signatures.
Mr MacCionnaith spoke yesterday on BBC Radio Ulster's Talkback programme, where it was also highlighted that several GAA clubs bear Mitchel's name.
"I reached out to the councillors regarding John Mitchel Place and thought that was a good place to start. Ultimately for the Gaelic clubs named after him, it's the clubs' decision to make," he said.
"If we got the street renamed first it would give us the momentum to put pressure on clubs to stop honouring John Mitchel."
A separate petition by Patrick Hughes and Aidan McQuade has gained more than 200 signatures.
The petition describes Mitchel as an "apologist for slavery and an advocate for the reintroduction of the genocidal trans-Atlantic slave trade".
It calls for his statue to be removed and John Mitchell Place renamed "Black Lives Matter Plaza".
Mr McQuade, a former director of Anti-Slavery International, called for a "radical and profound" change to "meet the mood of the times and to make a useful statement" against racism.
