Black groups say Montreal police racism allegations deserve public inquiry

A coalition of Black community groups joined calls for an independent public inquiry into allegations of racism within the Montreal police force.

MONTREAL — A coalition of Black community groups has joined calls for an independent public inquiry into allegations of racism within the Montreal police force that have led to 14 officers being reassigned and two others facing potential criminal charges.

Members of the Afro Youth Summit issued the call on Tuesday, joining politicians and community leaders demanding an independent examination of officers assigned to Station 39 in Montréal-Nord, a diverse borough in the city’s northeast end.

Edouard Staco, president of the Afro Youth Summit, says the inquiry should examine not only the Montreal police but also other police forces that have been the subject of court rulings involving racial profiling.

“The transparency is not a threat to our institutions, it is the condition of their credibility,” Staco told reporters.

On Friday, Montreal police leadership said they had dismantled a night patrol unit within Station 39, reassigned 14 officers from public-facing duties, and suspended two others for alleged “discriminatory and racist” behaviour toward citizens. Police Chief Fady Dagher has said case files involving the two suspended officers are with prosecutors who will determine whether to lay criminal charges.

La Presse and Radio-Canada reported that among the allegations are that officers cut the hair of racialized citizens to turn it into “trophies.” Dagher has said the reports of haircutting were “part of the allegations.”

The Afro Youth Summit’s calls for a public inquiry are part of increasing pressure on the Quebec government to launch an independent investigation into the allegations.

Montreal’s mayor and the city’s opposition party, as well as the Québec solidaire provincial party, have also called for an independent inquiry, while the Quebec Liberals want provincial police to step in.

Quebec’s domestic security minister, Ian Lafrenière, said Monday he would appoint an observer to oversee the internal investigation being carried out by the Montreal police department. Depending on their conclusions, he said it was also possible that another police force or the province’s police watchdog could be called to investigate.

Arcelle Appolon, executive director of Maison d’Haiti, a Montreal organization serving Black and immigrant communities, said the allegations risk deepening an already fragile relationship between police and racialized people.

“The lack of trust in police authorities probably already existed before the revelations that concern us,” Appolon, whose group is part of the Afro Youth Summit, told the news conference. “The elements revealed only exacerbate that lack of trust.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 16, 2026.

Charlotte Glorieux, The Canadian Press