A MASS brawl broke out in a Sheffield school after a student allegedly ripped off a girl’s headscarf - sparking violence described by a witness as “like World War 3”.
Chaos erupted in Fir Vale School in Sheffield, South Yorkshire on Tuesday, when more than 100 pupils were involved in a riot.
Shocking footage shows some 12 students attacking each other, throwing punches, slaps and pushes.
Shocking footage also shows dozens more pupils rushing away from fight, jumping on tables or hiding behind chairs.
The teachers can be seen trying to break out the brawl.
Only the arrival of police officers with dogs put an end to the violence. About 15 police cars rushed to the scene minutes before 1pm.
Another video shows police officers pinning a girl down to a car bonnet.
And a police dog was also filmed keeping a boy on the floor.
The school, of about 1,000 pupils, had to be put on lockdown on Tuesday afternoon and could only be re-opened the next day, with police stationing outside to monitor the situation.
Parents claim the mass brawl was triggered by an altercation between two female students - one of which saw her headscarf being “torn off”.
Arfan Abbas, 42, has daughters in Year 9 and Year 11.
He said: “The day before the riot there was an incident between a Yemeni girl and a Eastern European girl and her headscarf was ripped off.”
Amjad Yasin, 40, who has two boys aged 13 and 14 at the school, claimed it was a girl from Somalia who was involved in the alleged fight with an Eastern European girl, before “one girl's headscarf was torn off”.
Without a quick intervention of police officers, the situation could have quickly worsened as, according to a witness, more than 1,000 adults gathered outside the school fences once news of the fight broke out.
One man, who did not wish to be named, said: "There were hundreds of people, a thousand people outside the fence. They were carrying all kinds of things - baseball bats, pieces of wood.
"They were trying to get over. It was chaos."
Some of them were armed, the witness added.
Police confirmed in a statement they saw a large number of people waiting outside the school upon their arrival.
A spokeswoman for South Yorkshire Police said: "At around 12.55, police were called to Fir Vale School on Owler Lane, following reports of an altercation between a group of students.
"Officers were deployed and on arrival found that a large number of people had gathered at the gates.
The Yorkshire Ambulance Service said two people, including one student, were treated for minor injuries at the scene in the Page Hall area.
The students involved in the fights are believed to be aged between 12 and 15.
Police said they made no arrests.
Following the riot, South Yorkshire Police said: “We are continuing to support and work alongside the school in relation to yesterday's incident.
“Officers are working with staff to review CCTV footage and speak to witnesses to understand exactly what led to the altercation inside the building.
“As enquiries continue, we will of course look to investigate any offences that are made apparent or that are disclosed to us.”
A notice on the school's website was put up after the riot broke out, saying: "An incident in school has meant we will be closing at 2pm. All pupils are safe.
"Any child who should not leave early will be supervised on site in our library."
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