Reference News Network August 10 report: According to AFP on August 8, the University of California in the United States announced on August 8 that the U.S. government has required it to pay a huge settlement of $1 billion for the pro-Palestinian demonstrations in 2024, which is the latest offensive by the Trump administration against universities.

The amount fined to the University of California is five times that of Columbia University, a private university in New York in July. At that time, Columbia University agreed to pay more than $200 million to resolve federal allegations of anti-Semitism.

James Milliken, the president of the University of California system, told the media: "As a public university, we rely on taxpayers' funds, and such a large expenditure could completely destroy the best public education system in the United States, possibly putting our students and all Californians in great difficulty."

The president, who oversees 10 campuses of the University of California system, especially the University of California, Los Angeles, which was targeted by the Trump administration, claimed that he received instructions from the federal government on August 8, but also mentioned that "the key work of UCLA and the University of California system is technology and medical research, which saves lives, enhances the U.S. economy, and ensures national security."

According to California media, the Trump administration also required the University of California to pay $172 million in compensation to Jewish students who were insulted and harmed during the pro-Palestinian protests in 2024.

In 2024, pro-Palestinian protests swept dozens of American universities, from Columbia University to the University of California, Los Angeles, as student encampments led to police crackdowns and public violence.

Since returning to the White House on January 20 this year, Trump, an eternal ally of Israel, has continuously pressured universities, with some universities reaching agreements worth hundreds of millions of dollars to end disputes. Some experts have called this a "disastrous precedent" for a "dictatorial" offensive against American education. (Translated by Lu Longjun)

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7536778700755419658/

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