UK police accused of offering cafe owner financial inducements to inform on Palestine Action

A cafe owner in Manchester has accused British police of offering him financial incentives and promising to overlook minor offences if he agreed to inform on the proscribed group Palestine Action, his lawyer said.

Shams Sadiq, 51, who owns two cafes in Manchester, said the offer was made on 15 May at Ashton-under-Lyne Police Station when he went to collect electronic devices confiscated during his arrest last year over alleged offences linked to Palestine Action. Two officers asked to speak with him “man to man,” Sadiq told The Guardian.

The officers said they had checked his devices and knew he was “fully involved” with Palestine Action but said he would not be charged in connection with last year's arrest. “They said to me: ‘We need your help. Look, there’s benefits in helping us,’” Sadiq said. “I’m like: ‘What kind of benefits? Financial benefits? Are you going to pay my taxes?’ They said: ‘Oh, we can help with things like that.’”

“The other guy said to me: ‘Oh, there’s other benefits, too.’ They said: ‘We’re not saying you can go out and commit a serious crime, but we can turn a blind eye to certain things,’” Sadiq added. When Sadiq asked about cancelling speeding tickets, the officers replied: “We don’t care about speeding.”

Sadiq said he interpreted “help” to mean aiding investigations into Palestine Action. “They also said I’m quite respected in my community, so maybe they think I would help them find Muslims in the mosque with extreme views,” he told The Guardian.

Four days before the meeting, on 11 May, Sadiq was questioned under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act at Manchester Airport for three hours. He said he was questioned about Palestine Action, Iran and his financial situation, and was asked what he would do if someone next to him at the mosque had extreme views. His devices were again confiscated and returned a few days later.

Palestine Action was proscribed in 2025 after members broke into a military air base. The ban made expressing support for, or membership of, the group a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison.

Sadiq said officers told him they would protect his family and did not need an immediate decision, giving him a number to text. He said he went public to ensure his safety after rejecting the offer.

Lawyer Simon Pook said he will file a formal complaint to the police on Sadiq's behalf, likening the conduct to British state behaviour during the Troubles in Northern Ireland. “We’re unhappy that he was put in that position and offered inducements to work for the state,” Pook said. “Was the intention always to use Schedule 7 in order to offer the inducement? If that is the true intention, Schedule 7 was used unlawfully, because it’s got to be used where you believe somebody may be involved in or in an act of preparation of terrorism.”

Greater Manchester Police said it was unable to comment.