Mississippi students unpunished for 'noose attack' on black pupil

Civil rights campaigners have called for a federal investigation into claims a US high school took no action against four white students who allegedly put a noose around the neck of a black pupil.

The alleged attack on the unnamed school football player is said to have taken place near the sports department's changing room at Stone County High School in Mississippi.

"We're calling on federal investigators to view this as a racial hate crime," Derrick Johnson, the president of the state's branch of African-American civil rights organisation the NAACP, announced at a news conference.

The pupil's parents, Hollis and Stacey Payton, said they not been notified of any action taken by the school staff. They attended the news conference in the school's town of Wiggins but did not speak.

Mr Johnson described the alleged attack at a news conference.

Sheriff's Captain Ray Boggs said the alleged attack was still being investigated but said he believed the account put forward by the Paytons was largely accurate.

He denied a claim from Mr Johnson that Mrs Payton was advised against filing a police report because the father of one of the alleged assailants is a former law enforcement officer.

Mr Johnson said such attacks could no longer be tolerated in a state synonymous with historic race attacks.

Stone County's population of 18,000 residents is about 78 percent white and 20 percent black.