An Australian teacher has been charged with assaulting a student after a video of a classroom brawl appeared online.
Police were called to Maitland Grossman High School in New South Wales' Hunter region following reports a student had been assaulted by a male teacher.
"The teenage boy was assessed at the scene by NSW Ambulance paramedics, however, was not physically injured," police told the Newcastle Herald.
The 62-year-old teacher was arrested at 9:30 pm that night and later charged with common assault, the Newcastle Herald reported.
Students allegedly scrunched up paper balls and threw them at the teacher, who growing aggravated, retaliated by doing the same.
The incident escalated with the teacher grabbing a student by the collar and pulling him over his desk.
Other students tried to intervene yelling at the teacher and asking him to leave the boy alone.
He yelled back telling those who had started recording to put away their phones, the Newcastle Herald reported.
Another pupil threw a desk at the teacher as the bell rang and other scared students fled the classroom.
Australian opposition leader Chris Minns was asked about the incident and told Nines Today Show, that although he doesn't know the full details of the incident "teachers have been under so much pressure," the Newcastle Herald reported.
He added that discipline is important but "part of that is ensuring that when teachers make calls or principals, they are backed up".
The teacher was put on conditional bail to appear before Maitland Court on April 6th.
