Footage circulating on social media shows a crowd of workers marching down a street near their Foxconn factory. Riot police are on scene.
Large protests broke out on Wednesday (November 23rd) at China’s largest iPhone manufacturing plant, owned by Taiwanese subcontractor Foxconn, according to videos and photos posted on social media Weibo and Twitter. Footage notably shows a crowd of workers marching down a street, some facing a row of people in white full body suits and riot police. In another video, a person behind an adjacent building claims that the protests “start again“and that it lasts”since last night and until [mercredi] morning».
The factory is located in Zhengzhou, central Henan Province. An excerpt from a video broadcast live shows, at night, dozens of workers shouting “Let’s defend our rights!in front of rows of police and a police vehicle with flashing lights. According Reutershundreds of demonstrators chanted “give us our salary». In question, according to the BBC, the non-payment of bonuses promised to employees who recently joined the company. “Protesting workers want to get a subsidy and go home”said a staff member to the British media.
In other footage, a worker is seen placing a metal barrier on the ground, while the author of the video shouts “they charge!” and “tear gas bombs!“. A photo taken during the day shows the charred remains of a portal, apparently burned during the night. For its part, Foxconn confirms “violencein its Chinese factory.
The hashtag #RiotsFoxconn appeared to be censored midday Wednesday on Chinese social media. A few posts referring to the protests, however, remained online. Foxconn is a large group that assembles electronic products for many international brands. The Taiwanese company, Apple’s main subcontractor, has faced an increase in Covid-19 cases in recent months at its huge site in Zhengzhou, the largest iPhone factory in the world. The complex employs more than 200,000 people, generally housed on site. The BBC adds that some staff are also complaining about the food served at the resort.
Foxconn had decided to confine the site with the workers inside. But hundreds of panicked workers then fled on foot. The Taiwanese group is the largest private sector employer in China, with more than one million employees across the country in around 30 factories and research institutes.
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