US President Donald Trump is intensifying pressure on higher education institutions and is filing a lawsuit against the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
UNN reports with reference to AFP.
Details
The Trump administration is filing a lawsuit for almost a billion dollars against the University of California. Currently, it concerns a demand for a fine of 1 billion dollars after repeated accusations of antisemitism. The case relates to UCLA's response to pro-Palestinian student protests in 2024.
The president of the University of California system, James Milliken, stated that the lawsuit for one billion dollars (about 860 million euros) was received by the university administration on Friday and is currently being reviewed. Milliken warned that paying such an amount would "completely destroy" the university system.
Milliken also stated that paying the amount demanded by Trump would cause "great harm" not only to students but to all residents of California. US citizens across the country depend on the "important work of UCLA and the UC system."
Reference
The University of California is a public university system that includes higher education institutions in ten cities on the west coast of California. They are among the best public universities in the United States. Particularly well-known are the universities in Berkeley (UC Berkeley) near San Francisco and in Los Angeles (UCLA).
Compensation for damages, at least in parts
American media suggest that the US government wants the money to be paid in installments. There is also a demand that the university also pay $172 million into a damages fund to compensate Jewish students and others affected by alleged discrimination.