"It's a disgrace": Video of indigenous woman zip tied by Marlborough Hotel staff in Winnipeg sparks outrage online

A video taken on Monday, December 25, 2023, in the Marlborough Hotel in Winnipeg showed hotel staff zip-tying an Indigenous woman's hands behind her back as she pled to leave the premises. Hotel staff claimed that the woman was brandishing a knife while intoxicated. She was charged with assault with a weapon by the Winnipeg police.

Trigger Warning: This article contains mention of r*pe and physical assault. Readers' discretion is advised.

Video of the restrained woman crying while being restrained by staff went viral all over the internet. The woman later identified herself as Gail Bburn on social media and claimed that the people restraining her told her that they were going to r*pe her.

Netizens were outraged over the treatment of indigenous women in Winnipeg and wanted an investigation into the hotel. One X user commented under @TizzyEnt's video of the incident and said:

Netizens wanted the authorities to take action (Image via X/@TizzyEnt)

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Disturbing video leaves netizens outraged at Winnipeg hotel staff

A viral video of a restrained, indigenous woman has left netizens concerned. The video, shared on Facebook by Winnipeg resident Eddy Barahoma on December 26, was shot the day before and re-posted by Tizzy Ent in a January 20, 2024, tweet. The video is set at the Marlborough Hotel in Winnipeg, Canada. The video showed a distraught woman being escorted by hotel staff.

The woman had her hands tied behind her with a zip tie as she was escorted to the lobby by two men, one of whom zipped up his pants on the way to the front. The men also closed the hotel doors while waiting for the police to arrive. One bystander told the man taking the video that she was being taken to the basement.

The crying woman could be heard calling the man escorting her a "pervert" and claimed that the men touched her, twisted her arm, cuffed her, and touched her breasts and her "private" parts. The woman cried to the man recording to help her while the staff forced him out of the hotel.

Netizens were extremely worried for the woman in the video, and many speculated that the hotel was involved in s*x trafficking. People alleged that the men in the video had ulterior motives and wanted an investigation into the hotel and the staff. Here are a few reactions to Tizzy Ent's tweets regarding the incident:

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"A stark reminder of the ongoing mistreatment of Indigenous women": The Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak reacts to the video

The restrained woman later came forth on Facebook and identified herself as Facebook user Gee Bburn, who also went by Gail Bburn on Instagram. She released a post claiming that the men in the video had tried taking her downstairs while she was passed out in a restaurant while waiting for her brother. She even claimed that they said they were going to r*pe and kill her.

In another video posted by Children First Society on TikTok, a TikTok user claimed that Winnipeg was a dangerous place for indigenous people. She said that there was an entire "missing and murdered indigenous people crisis" going on in Winnipeg. She also claimed that the reviews on Google labeled the hotel and its staff as creepy. Here is a Tizzy Ent re-post of the video:

Winnipeg City News released an article saying the hotel staff had claimed that the restrained woman was intoxicated. The staff, as per the report, further claimed that the woman threatened people in the lobby by brandishing a knife, which led to her being restrained by hotel staff, who were allegedly following the advice of the Winnipeg police. The police also confirmed to the outlet that the woman was charged with assault with a weapon.

However, this was before the video was discovered. According to the news outlet, the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, who called the video "distressing," claimed they were actively cooperating with the police investigation. The Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak said in a Facebook statement:

"The treatment of this woman is a stark reminder of the ongoing mistreatment of Indigenous women and girls, and it is imperative that immediate and thorough investigations are conducted to ensure that such incidents do not occur again."

On Sunday, January 21, a rally was conducted on the Marlborough Hotel's premises demanding a "thorough investigation" into what had happened with the indigenous woman. According to Winnipeg City News, the hotel maintained that they were just keeping the woman from hurting herself and others until the arrival of the police.

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