Dr. Bahaa Helmy Writes: 25 January, the Day of the Egyptian Police

On 25 January every year Egypt celebrates the anniversary of pride, dignity and patriotism, the anniversary of the 68th Police Day; it is a day engraved in the memory of Egyptians.

The day when the men of the police inscribed their names, heroism and sacrifices in Ismailia in the record of the nation's history in confronting Great Britain. On this day the police embodied the loftiest meanings of patriotism, of solidarity between the police and the people and of loyalty to the mission even to sacrifice, with all pride and dignity, in confronting colonialism and British arrogance, earning the military salute of the enemy. General Exham's military salute to the men of the Egyptian police, after they refused the order to leave the governorate building, and the fall of 50 martyrs and 80 wounded, was nothing but an acknowledgment and appreciation of the courage and patriotism of the Egyptian police and people. The English general and his forces lining up to salute the policemen as they came out of the governorate building, and informing the Egyptian liaison officer that the policemen had fought with honor and surrendered with honor, means the defeat of the English. The forces of Great Britain, which boasted of their power and victories, stood before the scene of policemen defending, with their lives before their simple rifles, the interest of the nation and the national decision against tanks and armored vehicles, to be convinced that the police and the Egyptian will would never fall. Unfortunately, the terrorist group, backed by some states that conspired against Egypt, tried to project [its plot] onto Police Day on 25 January 2011, because it is an immortal day and a symbol of self-sacrifice and sacrifice in confronting the English at that time. The choice of 25 January to begin carrying out the conspiracy by the terrorist group, which hid behind well-meaning young people, was aimed at erasing the shame and obliterating the historical facts that haunt the English and their use of brute force against the Egyptian policemen in Ismailia, who performed the most wonderful acts of heroism with full determination and devotion in defense of Egypt. The conspiracy of the terrorist group, planned for many years before Obama came and gave his famous speech at Cairo University announcing that the starting point would be Egypt, is witness to the Brotherhood's betrayal of the homeland. Likewise, the trials held for security leaders and young officers, the attempts to infiltrate and divide the police through what were known as the coalitions and the Salafi officers, and the appointment of a Brotherhood representative to monitor the Ministry of Interior were attempts to break the will of the Egyptian police and to obliterate the landmarks of its heroism and sacrifices in history and in the memory of the nation — similar to what happened in Iraq, with the deliberate destruction of its heritage and historical landmarks and the attempt to change its geography and divide its people after the plundering and looting of its museums, the destruction of antiquities and the spreading of a culture of violence and chaos; and some of those scenes were repeated in Syria. The attempts to attack the Egyptian Museum and the burning of the Institut d'Égypte were an attempt to undermine the history and civilization of Egypt and the struggle of its people and its police against the English after the abrogation of the 1936 Treaty, which granted Britain special privileges and exemptions. This led the British Foreign Secretary at the time to declare that Britain would meet force with force to keep its forces in the Suez Canal zone, and that Egypt would not be allowed to tear up the treaty, in his words, and he said that the evacuation of the English would be a more serious and more humiliating blow to the dignity of Great Britain. So the heroism and sacrifices of the police in Ismailia came to be the spark of the 23 July Revolution. The valiant Egyptian armed forces were prepared and ready in 2011 to confront the dangers looming on the horizon at that time, because the Egyptian leadership did not read and grasp the warning signs of danger. The solidarity of the armed forces, the police and the people in the 30 June Revolution is an exaltation of the values of patriotism and of preserving the homeland and its history and civilization stretching over thousands of years, to be a harsh lesson for every traitor who conspired against Egypt and a unique model of a noble people. The Egyptian police returned to the forefront, in coordination with the armed forces and with popular support, in confronting terrorism and the violence of the terrorist group, which led to the martyrdom of a number of policemen in the period from 2011 until now that exceeds the number of police martyrs since the time of the Interior Department (Nizarat al-Dakhiliya) in 1857. The political leadership's celebration of Egyptian Police Day is an appreciation from the people and the government. So salute to the Egyptian mother, and salute to the political leadership and our armed forces on the occasion of 25 January, the Day of the police, which has not fallen and will never fall. We must expose the facts and dimensions of the conspiracies of the terrorist group and the states that support and fund it by developing national awareness — and there is more to be said.