Large-scale protests have erupted at Foxconn’s massive iPhone factory in Zhengzhou, central China, images circulating on Weibo and Twitter appear to show.
Videos on Wednesday showed hundreds of workers marching down a road in broad daylight, with some clashing with lines of riot police and people in protective suits.
Some videos show workers complaining about the food they were given, while others say they were not paid bonuses as promised.
One live stream clip shows dozens of night workers shouting: “Defend our rights! Defend our rights!” as they confronted a line of police officers and a police car with flashing lights, according to the AFP news agency.
As clouds of smoke billowed from the vehicle, a worker dragged a metal barricade across the ground, the tape saying in the background: “They’re invading! Smoke bombs! Tear gas!” AFP said.
One photo taken during the day shows the charred remains of a gate that apparently burned down during the night.
Reuters could not immediately verify the authenticity of the videos. Foxconn did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Weibo hashtag “Foxconn Riots” appeared to be censored online by Wednesday, while some text posts mentioning large-scale protests at the Foxconn factory remained active.
The Zhengzhou plant is the largest iPhone factory in the world, with about 200,000 workers.
Since late October, many workers have fled – their escapes filmed on social media – as frustration builds over the treatment of staff and the handling of Covid cases, including what they say is insufficient food provision.
In an effort to restore production, the manufacturer began an attempt to convince workers to stay and hire more staff, promising higher hourly wages and bonuses.
The factory maintains so-called closed plant operations – a system where staff live and work in a location isolated from the rest of the world – due to the Covid situation in Zhengzhou.
The restrictions and discontent have affected production, prompting Apple to say earlier this month that it expects lower shipments of premium iPhone 14 models.
Reuters and Agence France-Presse contributed to this report
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