In 2018 Mitchel's racial defence of slavery again cast a shadow upon his reputation. With reference to the Black Lives Matter movement, petitions were launched, receiving over 1,200 signatures from the Newry residents, calling for a statue of Mitchel in the centre of the town to be removed, and John Mitchel Place, in which it stands, to be renamed. With the support of Unionist members who feared “creating a dangerous precedent” (people might "find other streets and names where they’d find fault with it or have some issue from a historical context"), the nationalist majority Newry, Mourne and Down District Council, in June 2020, agreed only that council officers "proceed to clarify responsibility for the John Mitchel statue, develop options for an education programme, identify the origins of John Mitchel Place and give consideration as to other potential issues in relation to slavery within the council area.”