Footage geolocated by AFP to an industrial park in the southwestern city of Chongqing shows people tossing crates at a group of uniformed men, sending a shower of what appear to be test kits flying.
Other posts alleged that Chongqing-based pharmaceutical company Zybio suddenly fired workers who had been recruited in recent weeks. AFP could not confirm exactly when the videos were captured, though multiple social media users said the clash took place on Saturday night into Sunday morning. One video posted on a TikTok account belonging to a state-owned news outlet showed what it claimed was a street littered with antigen tests in a Chongqing industrial park.
Authorities last month took over production lines at more than a dozen pharmaceutical firms, while some companies brought on new hires to meet surging demand.