Cafe owner says UK police tried to recruit him to spy on Palestine Action

Cafe owner says UK police tried to recruit him to spy on Palestine Action Submitted by MEE staff on Sat, 05/30/2026 - 15:47 Shams Sadiq says Manchester police offered to overlook low-level crimes if he informed on the proscribed group Police officers detain a protester during a Lift The Ban demonstration in support of the proscribed group Palestine Action in London on 4 October 2025 (Justin Tallis/AFP) Off A cafe owner in northern England has said British police offered him financial incentives and promised to turn a blind eye to some low-level offences if he informed on the proscribed group Palestine Action. The Guardian reported on Saturday that a man named Shams Sadiq, the owner of two cafes in Manchester, said he was offered inducements by the police. The offers were made when he went to pick up electronic devices confiscated by police during his arrest last year over alleged offences linked to Palestine Action, Sadiq said.