Manchester cafe owner says police tried to recruit him to spy on Palestine Action
A Manchester cafe owner says police offered him benefits if he informed on Palestine Action. He says officers also suggested they could ignore some low-level offences.
Intelligence analysis by GPT-5.4 Mini
Shams Sadiq says Greater Manchester police officers tried to persuade him to become an informant after taking his devices and questioning him about Palestine Action. The case adds to scrutiny of counter-terror policing, especially around protest groups tied to the Gaza war.
A man who owns cafes says police asked him to help them keep an eye on a protest group. He says they offered him helpful treatment in return, like money help and being lenient about small problems.
Think of it like someone asking a neighbour to spy on the kids next door and offering sweets for doing it. The story is about whether police went too far.
The man says he does not want to do it and feels worried. The police have not given their side in detail, so the claim is still just his account.
Analysis
What happened
Shams Sadiq, who owns two Manchester cafes, says police officers tried to recruit him to provide information on Palestine Action. According to Sadiq, the officers made the approach on 15 May at Ashton-under-Lyne police station, after he went to collect electronic devices seized during an earlier arrest.
He says the officers told him they knew he was “fully involved” with Palestine Action, but that they would not charge him over last year’s arrest. He says they then offered “benefits” for helping them, including financial help and a promise to “turn a blind eye” to certain low-level offences.
Wider policing context
Sadiq said he believed the officers were from Operation Wildflower, a Greater Manchester Police and partner-force response related to the war on Gaza. He also said he had been questioned under schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act at Manchester airport four days earlier, where officers asked about Palestine Action, Iran and his finances.
He says he was held for more than three hours, questioned about extremist views at a mosque, and later met the same officers at a Starbucks in Terminal 2, where they apologised and returned his devices.
Reaction
Sadiq, who says he is outspoken about Palestine and has supported marches and pro-Palestinian materials, said he went public because he feared for his safety. His solicitor, Simon Pook, said formal representations were being made to GMP and compared the conduct to state tactics used during the Northern Ireland Troubles. GMP said it was unable to comment.
Key points
- Shams Sadiq says police tried to recruit him to inform on Palestine Action.
- He says officers offered financial help and leniency on low-level offences.
- He says the approach happened after a schedule 7 stop and a separate arrest-related visit.
- His solicitor says the police conduct raises serious legal and ethical concerns.
- Greater Manchester Police says it cannot comment.
