“The school does it if no one else does it,” said the principal to the Jönköpings-Posten newspaper.
“I think we need to draw attention to what happened. It’s especially serious that the 8-year-old boy was kicked when lying down.”
A teacher broke up the fight and witnessed how the 10-year-old repeatedly kicked the 8-year-old in the side and in the head.
The 8-year-old was taken to hospital following the incident, but returned to school the following day.
Children under the age of 15 can’t be charged and sentenced in Sweden, but instead are referred to social services.
The issue of addressing crime among Swedish youth gained attention recently following calls by Christian Democratic lawyer and Riksdag member Peter Althin for the creation of special courts for offenders younger than 15-years-old.
“It’s time to have a discussion about this. I don’t want to put children in prison, rather, it’s about quickly helping those who’ve gone off track instead of waiting until they are established criminals,” he said to the TT news agency.