Who, or what, is to blame for the invasion of the Capitol in Washington last week? It would be easy to point to US President Donald Trump, who clearly incited the mob that brought death and desecration to the seat of American democracy; to those in the Republican Party who have cynically enabled him over the last four years; and to the loosened grasp on reality of many in the general public caused, in part, by the rise of the internet and social media.
But there is another culprit lurking largely unnoticed and unshamed that should receive just as much censure, and that is America’s attachment to free speech. It is an attachment so untrammelled and without nuance that it has reduced the truth to a lonely boatman sailing on an ocean of lies, libel and noxious fictions.
This is not to excuse Mr Trump, nor his backers in the Republican Party or his more credulous supporters.
But all of this has been made possible through the fetishisation of the First Amendment to the US Constitution, in particular its middle section: “Congress shall make no law… abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press.” It is the fundamentalist interpretation of these words, over many decades, that provided the foundations for Mr Trump to become “leader of the free world”, to tell false or misleading claims over his time in office – and still win the second highest vote tally in a US presidential election.
It is not that lies are unknown in other parts of the world. Several – such as the idea that 80 million Turks could take up residence in the UK if it remained in the EU – were propagated during the Brexit campaign (and I write that as someone who supported leaving). Prior to the 2018 election in Malaysia, where I live, so many whoppers were told about the then Barisan Nasional government – such as the claim that under them the country had been named one of the 10 most corrupt in the world, when no such list existed – that I fully supported the passing of Kuala Lumpur's recent "Anti-Fake News" law at the time.
But in America the falsehoods are on another scale entirely. John Kerry may well have lost the 2004 presidential election after a group calling themselves the “Swift Boat Veterans for Truth” told calumnies about his very honourable war record in Vietnam. The crucial difference is that the then Democratic contender may have had no legal recourse against these vicious smears – because, unbelievably, the First Amendment has been interpreted in successive Supreme Court rulings so broadly that libelling public figures and telling lies are, for the most part, protected as “free speech”. Any law trying to fight the scourge of fake news would be a complete non-starter in the US. No one even bothers trying to introduce one, so obvious is it that it would be ruled unconstitutional.
Lies are not unknown elsewhere in the world, but in America they are on another scale entirely
There is little appreciation of this in much of the world. In Britain, for instance, campaigners against local libel laws (much needed, in my view) regard the US as a nirvana of free speech. The truth is the opposite. After mendacity was elevated to new levels in the US during the Trump presidency, even some American commentators are beginning to query whether the First Amendment is fit for purpose in our digital world.
Thomas Edsall of the New York Times addressed this in a long and thoughtful essay earlier this month. What was noticeable, however, was that none of the academics Edsall spoke to really questioned the unlimited free speech the amendment shields. The comments of the Yale law professor Jack Balkin were typical: "The central problem we face today," he said, "is not too much protection for free speech but the lack of new, trustworthy and trusted intermediate institutions for knowledge production and dissemination."
This falls back on the old saw that in a marketplace of ideas, truth will prevail. But it evidently has not in the US – or not to the extent it needs to for any reason and fact-based political discourse to prevail and dominate. One survey found that while 43 per cent of Republican voters opposed the violent siege of the Capitol, an astonishing 45 percent supported it.
People died. The same fate, or being taken hostage, could have befallen Vice President Mike Pence and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. And yet millions of Americans think that this assault on the “city on a hill”, as America often refers to itself, was justified because they genuinely – but falsely – believe the election was stolen.
All this is down to “free speech” that is not worthy of the name. Far from protecting US democracy, the First Amendment is now one of its gravest threats. If Americans wish to safeguard their Republic in the future, they must stop regarding their constitution as sacrosanct, and recognise that it is time to amend an Amendment that preserves the liberty of demagogues, racists, fantasists, hatemongers and would-be tyrants.
Sholto Byrnes is an East Asian affairs columnist for The National
The specs
Engine: 2.9-litre, V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: seven-speed PDK dual clutch automatic
Power: 375bhp
Torque: 520Nm
Price: Dh332,800
On sale: now
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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GIANT REVIEW
Starring: Amir El-Masry, Pierce Brosnan
Director: Athale
Rating: 4/5
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre V6
Power: 295hp at 6,000rpm
Torque: 355Nm at 5,200rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.7L/100km
Price: Dh179,999-plus
On sale: now
The%20specs
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Scoreline
Saudi Arabia 1-0 Japan
Saudi Arabia Al Muwallad 63’
Afro%20salons
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CHATGPT%20ENTERPRISE%20FEATURES
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Tonight's Chat on The National
Tonight's Chat is a series of online conversations on The National. The series features a diverse range of celebrities, politicians and business leaders from around the Arab world.
Tonight’s Chat host Ricardo Karam is a renowned author and broadcaster with a decades-long career in TV. He has previously interviewed Bill Gates, Carlos Ghosn, Andre Agassi and the late Zaha Hadid, among others. Karam is also the founder of Takreem.
Intellectually curious and thought-provoking, Tonight’s Chat moves the conversation forward.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
At a glance
Fixtures All matches start at 9.30am, at ICC Academy, Dubai. Admission is free
Thursday UAE v Ireland; Saturday UAE v Ireland; Jan 21 UAE v Scotland; Jan 23 UAE v Scotland
UAE squad Rohan Mustafa (c), Ashfaq Ahmed, Ghulam Shabber, Rameez Shahzad, Mohammed Boota, Mohammed Usman, Adnan Mufti, Shaiman Anwar, Ahmed Raza, Imran Haider, Qadeer Ahmed, Mohammed Naveed, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
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Turkish Ladies
Various artists, Sony Music Turkey
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
PREMIER LEAGUE TABLE
1 Man City 26 20 3 3 63 17 63
2 Liverpool 25 17 6 2 64 20 57
3 Chelsea 25 14 8 3 49 18 50
4 Man Utd 26 13 7 6 44 34 46
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5 West Ham 26 12 6 8 45 34 42
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6 Arsenal 23 13 3 7 36 26 42
7 Wolves 24 12 4 8 23 18 40
8 Tottenham 23 12 4 8 31 31 39
The five pillars of Islam
Match info
Premier League
Manchester United 2 (Martial 30', Lingard 69')
Arsenal 2 (Mustafi 26', Rojo 68' OG)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MEDIEVIL%20(1998)
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Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
'Avengers: Infinity War'
Dir: The Russo Brothers
Starring: Chris Evans, Chris Pratt, Tom Holland, Robert Downey Junior, Scarlett Johansson, Elizabeth Olsen
Four stars
Bridgerton%20season%20three%20-%20part%20one
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Company profile
Name: Fruitful Day
Founders: Marie-Christine Luijckx, Lyla Dalal AlRawi, Lindsey Fournie
Based: Dubai, UAE
Founded: 2015
Number of employees: 30
Sector: F&B
Funding so far: Dh3 million
Future funding plans: None at present
Future markets: Saudi Arabia, potentially Kuwait and other GCC countries
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
Switching%20sides
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