B.C. Realtor disciplined for sending ‘hateful’ Instagram DM to Toronto restaurant

The Instagram logo is seen on a cell phone in Boston, Oct. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

A B.C. Realtor who used his personal Instagram account to send an “antisemitic, violent and hateful” direct message to a Toronto restaurant has been disciplined by the provincial real estate regulator.

Nima Alizadeh-Gharib entered a consent order agreement with the B.C. Financial Services Authority last month, and the document was published on the regulator’s website Wednesday.

According to the consent order, Alizadeh-Gharib maintained two Instagram accounts in December 2024, when he sent the hateful message. One of the accounts was used for “professional real estate purposes,” while the other was his personal account, which he believed was private and only visible to followers he approved.

The personal account identified him as a Realtor and included a link to his professional account, the document says.

The specifics of the hateful message are not reproduced in the consent order, which says only that Alizadeh-Gharib sent it on Dec. 22, 2024 and followed up with a written apology on Jan. 6, 2025.

As reproduced in the consent order, the apology letter read, in part:

“I take full responsibility for my behaviour and the harm it caused to everyone affected. I am committed to taking immediate and meaningful steps to educate myself, grow and ensure nothing like this ever happens again.”

A representative of the restaurant interviewed by the BCFSA said he was able to view Alizadeh-Gharib’s personal account, despite it purportedly being private.

“It was clear that the hateful message was not sent anonymously but was from a regulated professional,” the consent order reads.

When the BCFSA interviewed Alizadeh-Gharib in May 2025, he explained that he had consumed “a significant amount” of alcohol before sending the message, and had viewed a social media post alleging that the restaurant he targeted was “financially supporting” the Israel Defense Forces’ operations in Gaza.

Alizadeh-Gharib also told the regulator that he had been advised by the RCMP that any further contact with the restaurant would result in criminal charges, and that he had attended seven counselling sessions since sending the message, according to the consent order.

Licensed as a trading services representative since 2011, Alizadeh-Gharib has no previous discipline record with the BCFSA, the document notes.

It says he acknowledges that he committed conduct unbecoming of a licensee by sending the hateful message, and that this constitutes professional misconduct under the provincial Real Estate Services Act.

According to the consent order, Alizadeh-Gharib has agreed to “complete a customized educational program with the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies,” at his own expense of $3,000, and to pay the BCFSA $2,350 in enforcement expenses. He also agreed to a reprimand from the regulator.

If Alizadeh-Gharib fails to comply with any of the terms of the order, the regulator can suspend or cancel his licence.