Retailers in Derry, Northern Ireland, have rallied against a local council motion calling on them to stop selling The Sun.

Derry City and Strabane District Council called for a boycott of the newspaper to “show solidarity” with the families of the Hillsborough disaster victims. It also called for support the campaign group Total Eclipse of the S*n, which wants all shops to cease selling the newspaper.

The Council voted by majority to back the motion tabled by Independent Councillor Paul Gallagher at its September Full Council meeting.

Liam Clifford, who owns Racecourse Stores in Derry, told Retail Express he would continue to sell The Sun. “It’s up to the customer if they want to buy it,” he said. “The ban has no support that I know of.”

John McDowell of McIntyres in County Londonderry called the council’s move “very dangerous”.

“I would have thought imposing a boycott is something the council can’t do, so they may find themselves in a bit of legal trouble,” he said.

A Sun spokesperson told the Derry Journal: “We are astonished that in Derry – a city that has prided itself on its association with civil liberties and free speech – some elected politicians that think it’s appropriate to push such extreme censorship on its citizens and retailers.”