Parents' squabble at their children's graduation escalated into a mass brawl (1 photo + 1 video)
A resonant event occurred in the city of West Memphis, located in the American state of Arkansas - a verbal altercation between the parents of kindergarten graduates escalated into a fight. The incident was condemned by both the local police and school management, as well as Internet users, who put forward three probable versions of the causes of the conflict. 
The footage shows how several men, after a conversation in raised tones, moved on to sorting out the relationship with the help of kicks and fists. Other people tried to intervene in the fight, who sought to separate the opposing sides.
But the violence grew in scope, and by the end of the video posted on social media, it was clear that about 15 people were involved in the fight. Local media reported that the physical confrontation later occurred "in front of children and parents who were shocked by what they saw."
The West Memphis Regional School Board later responded to the footage of the fight. Superintendent Eric Foyster said they were aware of the altercation that occurred at the preschool and added that student safety "remains our top priority."
"We have zero tolerance for any behavior — from parents, students, staff, or visitors — that disrupts the learning environment or threatens the well-being of anyone on school property," Foyster said in a statement.
He said that such actions of the parents are "unacceptable", and therefore they have already contacted the local police of West Memphis. Now, as stated in the statement of local educational officials, law enforcement officers are identifying all those involved in the fight and will establish the measure of responsibility "to the fullest extent of the law".
Reasons for the conflict between parents: the version of social networks
At the same time, social networks were shocked by what they saw. Many of the users categorically condemned the behavior of the "parents" who decided to "spoil the children's holiday", proving their arguments with "fists and obscenities".
Users name several versions of why the fight could have occurred. One man points out that Faulk Elementary School has extremely low academic performance ratings in the US, most of the children are from the black community, and the selection of children for high school is based on ratings, which only a few pass.
"I think the whole reason is the rating. The children who have the best academic performance ratings will get a place on a free quota from the city. So apparently someone blurted out something like, "my child is a better student than yours" - and it started," another commenter supported the opinion of the previous author.
One woman says that the likely cause of the fight was domestic insults or rudeness. So then "one word led to another", and the squabble escalated into a fight. She is surprised that neither the police nor the security guards prevented it.
"I'm surprised that these "parents" ruined the holiday for their children. But it's not surprising - Faulk often has children whose parents belong to various black street gangs. So I assume that representatives of two groups that are in conflict on the streets of West Memphis met at their children's graduation, and then - you all saw it for yourself," another user puts forward a third version.
