A Montreal man who filmed his interaction with a female police officer was arrested and charged with defamation.
Mohamed Bekkali, 25, faces three counts of defamatory libel charges for comments he made against three officers from the Montreal police department (SPVM).
Crown prosecutors say the alleged incidents occurred on June 13 and 14, 2026. He was arrested on July 2 and has been released pending trial.
Under the Criminal Code of Canada, publishing a defamatory libel carries a punishment of a maximum of two years in prison.
In a separate incident from June 2025 that made the rounds on social media after it resurfaced in March this year, Bekkali was seen hurling vulgar and misogynistic comments against the officer.
The incident sparked widespread outrage, leading to the Quebec National Assembly passing motions condemning the incident and Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada denouncing it as “unacceptable.”
On Monday, reacting to the charges against Bekkali, the mayor said: “There are lines that must not be crossed.”
“This sends a clear message that respect for our police officers is non-negotiable.”
SPVM Chief Fady Dagher and the Montreal Police Brotherhood had called on the city to consider a new bylaw banning insults against police officers to prevent similar incidents. Some municipalities like Quebec City, Laval, Longueuil and Sherbrooke allow police officers to fine citizens for insulting police and other public officials.
Martinez Ferrada said her administration was open to such a bylaw.
“We recognize the importance of this regulation, and it is essential that we get it right,” she said. “We want to work on it with the SPVM and the police brotherhood to ensure that we put in place a regulation that is effective, enforceable, and legally sound.”
Legal experts have questioned whether a bylaw targeting insults against police officers would pass a constitutional test.
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