Five Toronto police officers found guilty of misconduct for comments on Muslim outreach podcast

An investigative report by the Toronto Police Service (TPS) has found misconduct against five officers after a police-run podcast praised the post–October 7 surge of converts to Islam and was perceived to downplay Hamas support at anti-Israel rallies.

The Project Olive Branch Podcast had been launched by TPS as an outreach tool, to build trust amongst the Muslim community, according to police documents. It was to be “light hearted” and “foster open and engaging discussions.” The first episode aired without incident, the second, at 47 minutes, aired March 10, 2025 and received 142,000 views. It was reviewed by three supervisory colleagues, yet stirred controversy.

October 7 was framed as a catalyst for an “unbelievable” number of converts to Islam, said one host, using the term “reverts.” In another part of the show, an officer minimized how certain pro-Palestinian demonstrations are attended by individuals who support Hamas, according to complaints.

A police staffer reported hearing from Jewish community members that “expressed significant concern regarding language used by the officers, which they perceived as inflammatory. In particular, she stated there was concern that comments made during the podcast could be interpreted as characterizing the events of October 7 in a positive manner,” the investigation document said.

The discussion was “highly contentious and fell outside the scope of the podcast’s stated objectives,” the report said. The hosts “made controversial and inappropriate statements by publicly expressing personal views on a highly political issue while in police uniform.”

Within a day of airing on YouTube, police staff received “numerous complaints and negative social media reactions,” and due to the “volume and scope” of the concerns, a decision was made to remove the podcast from air. TPS issued a public apology through its website and social platforms. When informed about the removal of the show, one of the podcast hosts said the comments were “taken out of context.”

The report continued: “Although the comments may have reflected the officers’ personal views, they were communicated through an official TPS platform while both officers were in uniform. As a result, members of the public reasonably associated those views with TPS itself, leading some to question not only the impartiality of (officers involved) but also that of the TPS as a whole.”

Michael Teper, who filed a complaint through the Law Enforcement Complaints Agency (LECA), said regarding the report, that TPS “sat on it for six weeks, and only then did they communicate this to me.” The report is dated June 3, but the investigation document was received July 31.

He is, however, “pleased that the complaint was substantiated, which means that the complaint was ruled to have merit” finding that two constables and three sergeants, “were found in breach of their professional obligations under the law.” The president of the Canadian Antisemitism Education Foundation hopes that the “professionalism committee” will determine a fitting penalty.

Podcast hosts Cons. Farhan Ali and Const. Haroon Siddiqui, both serving as TPS Muslim Liaison Officers, declined to participate in interviews as requested by investigators, and refused to provide any show notes. “As a result, the investigation is unable to assess the officers’ intentions, motivations, or subjective understanding of the comments made during Episode Two,” the report said.