British police called over series of attacks on red-haired school children

LONDON – British police say they were called after a string of attacks on red-haired pupils at a school in northern England.

South Yorkshire Police said in a statement Friday the force had been alerted to last week's assaults at Wingfield Academy in the town of Rotherham, about 160 miles (260 kilometers) north of London.

It said a small number of pupils had sustained minor injuries after being attacked by fellow students. No arrests were made, but police said they had given some of the students involved a talking to, while the school said it condemned the attacks.

The issue of bullying of red-haired children periodically arises in Britain, and some commentators have attributed the phenomenon to lingering anti-Celtic prejudice.