In Pics: Citizens, police officer celebrate national police day nationwide

CAIRO - 25 January 2020: Citizens and police officers celebrated the National Police Day nationwide, which marks the celebration of the January 25 Revolution.

Policemen were joyfully meeting citizens on the streets, offering them and their children roses and candies in celebration of the 68th anniversary of the National Police Day.

In the belief that the occasion does not just concern police forces, the Interior Ministry will continue to celebrate by sharing festivities with all Egyptians at the ministry's affiliated service departments.



The day marks a historic clash between Egyptian police forces and the British Occupation forces in 1952, which was called then “Ismailia Battle.” It took place when the Egyptian police officers refused to hand over their weapons, and evacuate the Ismailia governorate’s building. The incident left 50 martyrs and 80 injured among Egyptian police officers.

The massacre was the spark of the revolution that ended the monarchy in Egypt on July 23 of the same year.

In the same context, President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi issued a decree on Saturday morning pardoning a number of 2975 prisoners and other 498 on parole on the occasion of National Police Day celebration and the 68th anniversary of the heroic epic of the Ismailia battle.

Former President Mohamed Hosni Mubarak issued a decision to consider the day an official holiday ‘Police Day’ in February 2009, in appreciation to police efforts, and recognizing their sacrifices.

It also comes to coincide with the January 25 Revolution that took to the streets in 2011, demanding the overthrow of Mubarak’s regime in a series of mass protests that broke out in several Arab countries in what was called then “Arab Spring Revolutions.”