A call for Preston shops to stop selling The Sun newspaper has been backed by Preston City Council.
AdvertisementCouncillors voted on Thursday afternoon to offer their support to the Total Eclipse of the S*n campaign.
Brookfield councillor John Browne tabled the motion calling for the council to support a boycott of the tabloid newspaper, referencing the reporting of the Hillsborough tragedy – in which two Prestonians Christine Anne Jones and Gerard Baron died.
The motion was backed by the Labour group and voted through, with 30 councillors voting for the motion, 18 against and one abstaining.
A majority of Blog Preston readers supported a boycott of The Sun, with more than 1,000 votes cast.
An angry response to the motion has been drawn from the Liberal Democrat group in the city.
Read more:Â Should Preston become a City of Sanctuary?
Ingol councillor Neil Darby said: âI canât quite believe that Labour would stoop so low that they would use a human tragedy to score cheap political points. There are plenty of reasons I disagree with Labour, but to literally use the deaths of Prestonian victims Christine Anne Jones and Gerald Baron to further their own agenda? Horrific. Truly horrific.â
“The motion âapplauds the group “Total Eclipse of the S*nâ for endeavouring to rid the North West of the newspaperâ.
“The Liberal Democrats believe that using their political power to infringe on the freedom of speech of other people is morally vehement. Whilst agreeing that The Sun peddles hatred, the Lib Dems recognise that education is the way forward, as opposed to Labourâs policy of a blanket ban on anything that doesnât match their cosy idea of how the world should be.”
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Blog Preston approached The Sun newspaper for a comment regarding the motion, but none was made.
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