DayofPal-Café owner and pro-Palestine activist from Manchester, says British police tried to recruit him as an informant against the activist group Palestine Action.
According to owner Shams Sadiq, officers told him they could offer financial benefits and overlook some minor offences if he provided information about the group.
He says the approach came when he went to collect electronic devices that had been seized following his arrest in 2025.
Sadiq also said he was stopped and questioned at Manchester Airport under Schedule 7 of the ‘Terrorism Act’ days before the meeting, where he was asked about Palestine Action, Iran, and people with extremist views.
The Guardian reported on Saturday that Shams Sadiq, the owner of two cafes in Manchester, said he was offered inducements by the police.
The direct action group was proscribed last year 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 he went to Ashton-under-Lyne Police Station on 15 May, where two officers asked to speak with him “man to man”.
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,’” he 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.’”
Sadiq asked the officers if it was possible to cancel the speeding tickets he received, to which they said: “We don’t care about speeding.”
He 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 added to The Guardian.
Sadiq said he remained under investigation over an alleged Palestine Action-related offence in 2024.
He added that four days before the offer from officers, he was questioned – but not arrested – at Manchester Airport under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act.
Sadiq 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.
He was held for three hours and his devices were again confiscated. They were returned a few days later.
Sadiq is known in the area for his pro-Palestine activism and involvement with marches. Local media reported last year that one of his cafes was targeted, with Israeli flags stuck to its door.
Sadiq told The Guardian that during the meeting at the police station, officers said they would protect his family and that they did not need an immediate decision. Instead, they gave him a number to text.
He said he decided to go public to ensure his safety after rejecting the offer.
Lawyer Simon Pook said he would make a formal complaint to the police on Sadiq’s behalf and likened the conduct to the behaviour of the British state during the Troubles in Northern Ireland.
“We’re unhappy that he was put in that position and offered inducements to work for the state,” said Pook.
“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.”
Since Palestine Action was proscribed, hundreds of people have been arrested and charged with supporting the group.
More than 3,000 people have been arrested so far for allegedly expressing support for Palestine Action since it was banned.
Palestine Action, a direct-action group protesting against Israeli war crimes, was proscribed by the British government in July 2025. It has carried out direct action protests at military and industrial sites in the UK since it formed in 2020, including breaking into facilities owned by Israeli weapons manufacturer Elbit Systems UK.
Officials such as UN human rights chief Volker Turk have criticised the ban for using terrorism legislation to combat activities that constitute “legitimate exercise of fundamental freedom”.
“The decision appears disproportionate and unnecessary,” Turk said last July.
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