Hooded youths attack Turkish Cypriots in school

NICOSIA, Nov 23 (Reuters) Hooded youths broke into a school compound in Cyprus and scuffles broke out when they attacked Turkish Cypriot pupils, witnesses said, in an incident underscoring the island's ethnic tensions.

One Turkish Cypriot student was slightly hurt in the fracas during a recess at the upper-crust English School in Nicosia.

The English School is run by the Cypriot government and is one of a few schools on the island which has both Greek and Turkish Cypriot students.

The cause of the fight was not immediately known, but it followed media reports of friction between individual students at the school over religious issues.

''The youths went to attack about 70 Turkish Cypriot students and police were called to the scene,'' a police spokeswoman said yesterday.

Cypriot President Tassos Papadopoulos branded the incident ''criminal''.

Many Turkish Cypriot parents send their children across Cyprus's heavily fortified ''green line'' to attend private schools in the Greek Cypriot south on a daily basis.

''I'm thinking of not sending my son back for a few days until the necessary security measures have been taken,'' said Turkish Cypriot mother Dilek Yazman.

Another Turkish Cypriot mother said: ''Scuffles broke out, people were thrown to the floor and punched and kicked. Other Greek Cypriots intervened to protect their classmates.'' Reuters SBA VP0423