A local councillor has endorsed Jeremy Corbyn’s suggestion to rename the John Barnes Library to commemorate the suffragette movement. But she says there are no plans to rename the library after suffragette Constance Markievicz, a Sinn Féin MP and militant Irish Republican.
The library is located in Mr Corbyn’s Islington North constituency. During his opening speech as Labour leader, Mr Corbyn attracted controversy after he unveiled plans for a plaque commemorating Markievicz to be displayed in the library.
Markievicz was the first female MP to be elected, though as a member of Sinn Féin she did not take her seat. She was second in command of the Republican forces during the 1916 Easter Rising in Dublin, in which 466 people died.
Cllr Kat Fletcher said: ‘I want to rename the library to something to do with women’s suffrage. Jeremy [Corbyn] likes this idea very much and would like to see something within the library about a variety of women who have made history, including Constance [Markievicz]. There is no plan from him, I, or the Council to name the library after her.’
The library is directly next to Holloway Prison, where Markevicz was incarcerated alongside a number of other leading suffragettes, including Emily Davison and Emmeline Pankhurst. The suffragettes were treated like common criminals and many were force-fed after going on hunger strike.
The redevelopment of John Barnes Library, which is currently named after a former councillor, started in February this year and isn’t due to be finished until July 2016.
Photo credit: Christopher Marchant
