More details have emerged of the fight which broke out at the Paphos technical school earlier this week which led to two pupils being charged and two Syrians injured.
According to the police, the incident happened on Monday, around 10:30am during the students’ breaktime.
The altercation started from a jostle between students coming down the stairs, which escalated into a fight and resulted in the injury of two Syrian teenagers, aged 15 and 16.
Media reports stated the fight had a racial dimension and grew to involve 20-30 students, who ganged up on the two teenagers, seriously injuring them.
Paphos police chief Michalis Nikolaou, however, denied this to the Cyprus Mail stating that the incident involved no more than seven students, while the rest were bystanders.
Four students were directly implicated in the fight, Nikolaou said, and police have no report of racial slurs being spoken.
The two injured teens were transferred to the Paphos general hospital A&E where they were treated for their injuries.
According to the doctor on duty, the 16-year-old suffered a broken nose and haematoma on the left eye, and the 15-year-old had abrasions on various parts of his body.
Police said their investigations had yielded testimony against two other minors who were called in to be questioned.
On Wednesday the two, aged 16 and 17, were charged in writing and released.
The two attackers are charged with conspiracy to commit a felony and misdemeanour and causing serious and actual bodily harm.
The police will handle the two students under the law as minors, Nikolaou said.
Around 620 students attend the Paphos technical school, many of whom are of foreign origin.
Reports state that the incident was relayed by school administration to the ministry of education which provided instructions on how to manage and de-escalate the situation.
