The Trump administration has demanded that the University of California pay a $1 billion fine for the pro-Palestinian demonstrations that occurred in 2024, the university announced on Friday.
This amount is five times higher than the more than $200 million that Columbia University in New York agreed to pay in late July to settle accusations of antisemitism that allegedly spread on its campus during protests in the spring of 2024 against the Israeli war in the Gaza Strip.
James Miliken, president of the university, stated that, as a public university, they rely on taxpayer funding, and paying such a substantial sum would completely devastate the nation’s best public university system, causing significant harm to students and all Californians.
He added that the university’s ten campuses perform critical work in technology and medical research, contributing to life-saving advancements, economic growth, and ensuring national security.
