These images shared on Thursday 24 November show the violent clashes between hundreds of workers and security personnel in hazmat suits.
Some workers armed with poles hit the agents who retreat trying to protect themselves with shields. The last part of the video shows metal railings being thrown at some men over a fence.
These scenes of open dissent, unusual in China, mark the escalation of unrest in the giant Foxconn factory in Zhengzhou, the ‘iPhone city’ where 70 percent of Apple’s smartphones are assembled.
The uprising was sparked by frustration with strict anti-Covid restrictions, demands for extra work to pay promised bonuses, and allegations of failure to separate new hires from old staff. Foxconn said Thursday there was a “technical error” in hiring new recruits at the COVID-hit factory and apologized to workers after a fresh wave of protests.
Foxconn is trying to rebuild its workforce after thousands of employees walked out last month in protest over security conditions. Videos circulated on social media in recent days showed police officers in protective suits kicking and beating demonstrating workers.
Meanwhile Beijing continues to pursue the “zero-Covid” policy and new lockdowns are spreading throughout China, including in Zhengzhou. Residents of eight neighborhoods in the embattled city of 6.6 million people have been told to stay at home for five days starting Thursday. The only exception tolerated was going out to buy food and traveling to receive medical treatment. Daily mass tests have been ordered in what the city government has called a “war of annihilation” against the virus.
