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🇬🇧 United Kingdom /Crime & Justice

Montreal mayor calls for end to random police checks amid racial profiling probe

From The Guardian · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Under investigation
  • Montreal's mayor has called for an end to random police checks amid an investigation into racial profiling by 16 officers.
  • The mayor's husband, who is Black, has been repeatedly stopped by police without cause, prompting her call for action.
  • The investigation involves allegations of officers cutting dreadlocks and issuing tickets based on ethnicity, with some cases sent for potential criminal charges.

Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada has demanded a halt to random police checks, citing her husband's repeated stops by officers as a personal example of racial profiling. Ferrada, whose husband is Black, stated he has been stopped at least five times in the past year for "no reason at all."

Like many other Black people in our city and the racialized people this happens too many times.

— Soraya Martinez FerradaMontreal's mayor described her husband's repeated stops by police.

Her call follows a police chief's announcement that 16 officers are under investigation for allegedly targeting Black and Arab residents. Most of these officers are reportedly young, with less than five years on the force. Two officers have been suspended, and two cases have been forwarded to Quebec's director of criminal and penal prosecutions to determine if criminal charges are warranted.

I was extremely surprised. I didn’t think it was possible in 2026. This is how deeply, deeply hurt I am.

— Fady DagherMontreal's police chief reacted to the allegations of racial profiling.

Police Chief Fady Dagher expressed shock and hurt over the allegations, describing the officers as "tarnishing our uniform." Reports suggest these officers are accused of cutting dreadlocks from individuals during stops and issuing tickets based solely on ethnicity. Quebec's premier, Christine Fréchette, deemed the alleged behavior "unacceptable" but stopped short of calling it systemic racism, attributing it to a "small group."

For me, it’s a small group that’s behind these organized, repeated action. That’s not systemic racism. If it’s a small group, it’s not necessarily systemic. For me, systemic means on a larger scale.

— Christine FréchetteQuebec's premier commented on the nature of the alleged police misconduct.

However, allegations of racial profiling and systemic racism within the province's police force are not new. A 2024 Quebec judge awarded damages in a class-action lawsuit for racial profiling and unjustified arrests by Montreal police. In 2021, a coroner concluded that an Indigenous woman's death might have been prevented if she were white, citing "undeniable" systemic racism in her treatment by hospital staff. The mayor views the moratorium on random checks as a crucial first step toward rebuilding trust with affected communities.

I think it is also a way to rebuild trust with citizens and it’s something that I think the police sho

— Soraya Martinez FerradaMontreal's mayor suggested a moratorium on random checks as a step to repair relations.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by The Guardian in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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