A Manchester cafe owner has alleged that police attempted to recruit him as an informant on the pro-Palestinian activist group Palestine Action, offering financial incentives and a promise to overlook certain low-level offences.
Allegations of Inducements
Shams Sadiq, who operates two cafes in Manchester, stated that the inducements were made when he visited Ashton-under-Lyne police station on 15 May to retrieve electronic devices confiscated during his arrest the previous year. The arrest was linked to alleged activities concerning the banned direct action group.
Sadiq, 51, from Didsbury, recounted that two officers, whom he believes are part of Operation Wildflower—a response by Greater Manchester Police (GMP) and other forces to the conflict in Gaza—requested a private conversation with him. They informed him that after examining his devices, they were aware of his deep involvement with Palestine Action but would not press charges related to the 2024 arrest.
“They said to me: ‘We need your help. Look, there’s benefits in helping us,’” Sadiq told the Guardian. “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.’”
Interpretation of 'Help'
Sadiq said he then asked if they could cancel his speeding fines, to which they replied: “We don’t care about speeding.” He interpreted “help” as meaning assistance with their investigations into Palestine Action, given that they acknowledged his involvement and considered him a potential informant. He added: “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.”
Sadiq remains under investigation for a 2024 alleged Palestine Action-related offence. Four days before the station meeting, he was stopped at Manchester airport under schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act upon returning from Morocco. Two officers questioned him about Palestine Action, Iran, and his finances, including his mortgage. He was detained for over three hours and asked what he would do if someone at his mosque held extreme views. His devices were again seized.
Those same officers later instructed him to meet them at a Starbucks in terminal 2, where they were apologetic and returned the devices. Sadiq, who is vocal about Palestine, participates in marches and produces leaflets and stickers for pro-Palestinian groups and cultural exhibitions. Last year, miniature Israeli flags were reportedly stuck on his cafe door due to his support for Palestine.
Concerns for Safety
During the police station conversation, the officers also offered to protect him and his family, giving him a number to text if he decided to cooperate. Sadiq said he chose to go public because he feared for his safety after declining the offer. His neighbours have stopped speaking to him since his arrest. “I feel like I need protection from the police rather than anything else. It’s scary that I’ve got this marker on my passport for doing nothing. If they’ve got something on me, then charge me.”
Simon Pook, of Robert Lizar solicitors, is making formal representations to GMP on Sadiq’s behalf. He described the force’s conduct as reminiscent of British state tactics during the Northern Ireland Troubles. “We’re unhappy that he was put in that position and offered inducements to work for the state. Was the intention always to use the schedule 7 stop 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.”
GMP declined to comment.
