Violent protests have erupted near Foxconn’s massive iPhone factory in central China as workers clashed with security guards over Covid restrictions at the plant.

Videos shared on Weibo and Twitter, reviewed by AFP, show hundreds of workers marching down a street in daylight, with some being confronted by riot police and people in hazmat suits.

One night video showed a man with a bloody face as someone off-camera said: “They hit people, they hit people. Do they have a conscience?”

AFP partially verified this video through geolocation, which showed distinctive features including a building and barricades near employees’ living quarters on the factory premises.

Another video showed smashed Covid-19 test booths and an overturned vehicle.

In daytime video, several fire engines surrounded by police officers in hazmat suits were parked near apartment blocks while a voice could be heard from a loudspeaker saying: “All workers, please return to your quarters, do not connect to one.” small minority of illegal elements.”

China’s unyielding zero-Covid policy has caused fatigue and resentment among broad swathes of the population, some of whom have been confined to factories and universities for weeks or are unable to move freely.

The Weibo hashtag “Foxconn riots” appeared to have been censored by midday Wednesday, but some text posts related to large-scale protests at the factory remained live.

Neither Foxconn nor Apple have responded to AFP requests for comment on the recent unrest.

Foxconn, also known by its official name Hon Hai Precision Industry, is the world’s largest contract electronics manufacturer, assembling devices for many international brands.

The Taiwanese tech giant, Apple’s main subcontractor, recently saw a spike in Covid-19 cases at its Zhengzhou site, prompting the company to shut down the huge complex to keep the virus at bay.

Since then, the massive facility employing about 200,000 workers – dubbed “iPhone City” – has operated in a “closed-loop” bubble.

Footage emerged this month of panicked workers fleeing the site en masse on foot amid allegations of poor conditions at the facility.

Several employees later told AFP about scenes of chaos and disorganization at the workshop-dormitory complex.

In lieu of the fleeing workers, the company has offered big bonuses and other incentives to the employees who stayed, while the local government bused in new workers to keep the factory afloat.

Apple admitted this month that the lockdown has “temporarily impacted” production ahead of the holiday season at the Zhengzhou factory, the crown jewel of the Taiwanese company that makes iPhones in quantities unseen anywhere else.

Foxconn is China’s largest private-sector employer, with over a million people working in about 30 factories and research institutes nationwide.

China is the latest major economy to commit to a strategy of quenching Covid outbreaks as they occur, imposing lockdowns, mass testing and lengthy quarantines despite widespread disruption to businesses and international supply chains.

The policy has sparked sporadic protests across China, with residents in several major Chinese cities taking to the streets to vent their anger at lockdowns and business closures.