Thousands of demonstrators flooded the streets in Bangladesh throwing rocks in protest over the deaths of 110 people in a garment factory there earlier this week. Police fired tear gas and battered protesters with batons to no avail.
The demonstrators are out in the streets against the poor working conditions that are rife in the country’s 4,000 garment factories in that country.
The factory that burned while workers were inside made clothing for Disney, Sears, Walmart and brands owned by Teddy Smith and many other American and European brands.
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Authorities have arrested three of the factory’s officials in connection with the fire that killed 110 garment workers. They were arrested on allegations that they had ordered workers back to work as the fire alarms blared in th the factory and kept the fire exits locked trapping workers inside.
Fire officials there said that hundreds of people were trapped inside the building as the fire raged and that the deaths were directly related to the lack of exits out of the building.
Over 500 people have died in garment factory fires and accidents since 2006. The owners of these factories are rarely prosecuted for the deaths or the poor and unsafe working conditions.