BLACKBURN with Darwen council has changed its purchasing policy to “exclude those companies who facilitate the human rights violations in Palestine”.

It follows pressure form borough campaign group Drive for Justice which appealed to the full council forum on the issue in September.

The group was concerned that the council could be buying products from companies which supplied the Israeli armed forces in the wake of military action in Gaza.

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It called on the borough to observe the UN Human Rights Council recommendation that public bodies and companies must assess the human rights impact of their activities and take all necessary steps – including by terminating their business interests in the settlements – to ensure they are not adversely impacting the human rights of the Palestinian People.

The council has now approved a document “emphasise that goods must not be sourced from companies who commit or contribute to human rights abuses”.

Reacting to the change, Adnan Hussain from Drive for Justice said: “We applaud Blackburn Council for doing the right thing.”

Council leader Kate Hollern said: “This review gave us the opportunity to see what more we could do to strengthen our procurement procedures by reflecting the UN Human Rights Council recommendations. We have a proud tradition of championing human rights and speaking out against abuses.”