Video of Indigenous woman zip tied by staff sparks protest at Winnipeg's Marlborough Hotel

Upwards of 100 people stormed a downtown Winnipeg hotel Sunday in protest after a video surfaced showing an Indigenous woman being restrained by hotel staff with zip ties. The outcry comes as police and hotel staff allege the woman had been armed with a knife.

Upwards of 100 people stormed a downtown Winnipeg hotel Sunday in protest after a video surfaced showing an Indigenous woman being restrained by hotel staff with zip ties. The outcry comes as police and hotel staff allege the woman had been armed with a knife.

"What has happened here is a disgrace to one Indigenous woman," Garrison Settee, the grand chief of Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak (MKO), said to protesters at the hotel.

The crowd of protesters gathered in the lobby of the Marlborough Hotel Sunday afternoon, drumming and calling for answers from the staff.

It all stems from an incident that happened at the hotel on Dec. 25, 2023.

The video – which has been widely shared on social media – shows what appears to be hotel staff detaining a woman inside the lobby of the Marlborough Hotel. The woman has her hands tied behind her back and is crying.

In a statement, the hotel's general manager Rakib Hoque said around 1 p.m. that day a woman he believed was intoxicated pulled out a knife and was threatening guests and staff.

"Winnipeg city police were immediately called and advised us to protect our guests and staff which we did using wrist restraints on this individual," Hoque said in the statement.