Donald Trump leads an “unprecedented attack” against universities, denounce experts

A financial agreement between New York University Columbia and the US government has just ended months of conflict, but experts denounce a “devastating precedent” in the unprecedented offensive led by the administration of Donald Trump against higher education in the United States.

“What happened in Columbia is part of a wider authoritarian attack on civil society. However, ” lands David Pozen, professor of law within this large university located in northern Manhattan, denouncing the same pressures against the press or lawyers.

“A devastating precedent” – Donald trump leads "unprecedented attack"

Columbia announced at the end of July 221 million dollars “to end the surveys carried out” by the Trump administration at war against many campuses. Moreover, accused of anti-Semitism for having tolerated in 2024 pro-Palestinian demonstrations against the war waged by Israel in the Gaza Strip.

Since his return to power on January 20. Meanwhile, the American president, an unwavering ally of Israel, has continued to accentuate the pressures on universities by freeze, in the case of Columbia, hundreds of millions of dollars of subsidies paid by the federal state for research.

But many experts. like the president of the American Council on Education, Ted Mitchell, denounce the financial agreement that Columbia had to seal with the American conservative government.

Disguised “extortion” – Donald trump leads "unprecedented attack"

David Pozen also believes that the latter “was built from the start in an illegal. restrictive manner” and is similar to “extortion” disguised “in legal form”.

Columbia. but also Harvard, the oldest of the American universities of the prestigious Ivy League in the boston agglomeration, have always denied having closed their eyes on any form of anti -Semitism and assured that they have taken donald trump leads “unprecedented attack” measures so that their students and members of Jewish staff feel protected.

And according to Columbia. his agreement with the Trump government “preserves (its) autonomy and (its) authority for the recruitment of teachers, admissions and academic decisions”.

But Professor Pozen, on the contrary, thunders against “significant interference in Columbia’s autonomy”.

A similar agreement with Harvard to come?

Worse. according to the lawyer, the agreement to more than $ 220 million “is a sign of the emergence of a new control regime by which the Trump administration will regularly and unpredictable the education system and require it to make concessions.”

David Pozen thus predicts “a lot of pressure against Harvard and other universities” in the coming weeks.

The New York Times Thus reports that a $ 500 million agreement between the Trump government and Harvard is in preparation.

Washington has already withdrawn from him more than $ 2.6 billion in federal subsidies. revoked his certification to the donald trump leads “unprecedented attack” main system by which foreign students are authorized to study in the United States.

Standoff that continues before the courts

But unlike Columbia, Harvard challenged these measures to justice, in a test -shaped showdown.

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However. one of his teachers in political science, Steven Levitsky, fears that “the previous one (from Columbia) is devastating in terms of academic freedom and democracy”.

“Those who practice extortion do not stop at the first concession […] This is just a good chance that it is only the first step. ”fears the professor.

He even a brocade “an unprecedented attack” against higher education. calls for universities to go to “fight against an authoritarian regime”.