Bridgestone employees fire flares outside the tire factory of Bethune, northern France, Thursday, Sept.17, 2020.
Workers protest over the Japan-based company's decision to close the plant and lay off all its nearly 900 workers.
Bridgestone argues the factory is no longer competitive globally, but unions and French politicians accused the company of using the virus-driven economic crisis as a pretext for the closure and not investing in modernizing the plant instead.
Both unions and the French government denounced the closure, saying the company should have invested in modernizing the plant instead.
Workers waved flares and red union flags at Thursday’s protest, and listened to speakers from the French Communist Party, which helped organize the demonstration.