Activists cry foul as Egypt absorbs 25 January holiday to Police Day

There is desperation among activists in Egypt over a recent government decision to change the official dates of the 25 January Revolution and National Police Day.

The decision, taken by the Egyptian prime minister on 18 January, moves the holiday from Sunday, 25 January, to Thursday, 29 January (marking Police Day).

It ostensibly aims to offer civil servants and private-sector workers longer paid holidays by allowing them to stay at home on Thursday, in addition to the traditional two-day weekly holiday on Friday and Saturday.

Activists accuse the government of intentionally attempting to dilute the anniversary of the 2011 revolution, which brought down the Hosni Mubarak autocracy.

"The government exerts every effort to downplay the political character of this occasion, even though the 2011 revolution was a genuine popular movement that brought about sweeping political transformation in Egypt," said Kamal Abu Eita, a leading labour activist who became the minister of manpower in the first post-Mubarak government.

Speaking to The New Arab, Abu Eita expressed deep regret that the revolution had been "hijacked" by specific political forces in the country.

"This robbed the revolutionaries of the opportunity to govern and fulfil the revolution's core goals," he added.

The 25 January revolution of 2011 was a sincere attempt to shrug off its autocratic legacy and open the door to a new future in which Egyptians would select their own rulers freely, for the first time in ages. It was part of a series of public uprisings that swept through the region, from Tunisia to Bahrain, Yemen and Syria.

Thousands of Egyptians were killed and injured as they protested against the Mubarak regime during the 18-day revolution. Their country also bled a fortune as a result of the unrest that occurred because of the protests and persisted for years thereafter.

Counterattack

In Egypt, the downfall of the Hosni Mubarak regime after three decades of rule only briefly gave rise to free elections and media freedoms. It also empowered the Islamists, such as the Muslim Brotherhood.

However, the Muslim Brotherhood was removed from power by the military in what some Egyptians describe as a "revolution", while others describe it as a "military coup".

But this change, activists argue, is part of consistent efforts by the new authorities to erase the revolution from public memory, including the imprisonment of almost all those who stood at the front line of the anti-Mubarak revolution.

The same measures also included a tenacious state's overpowering of the media narrative, with the government controlling almost all media outlets to ensure its version of the story prevails in the face of any counter version.

This campaign has borne fruit, creating a public perception that equates the revolution with chaos and economic devastation.

Apart from state-affiliated media figures, the same view can be clearly seen among a sizeable portion of the nation's pro-government politicians, who denigrate the revolution and recognise January 25 only as Police Day.

Frustration

The Egyptian government has a common practice of shifting midweek holidays (especially those falling on weekends, such as Sunday, which is a regular workday in Egypt) to create a longer weekend or a more convenient break for employees in the public and private sectors.

This time, however, the original supporters of the 2011 revolution are deeply sceptical. This is why the prime minister's decision to move the holiday to 29 January has sparked significant criticism.

Criticism by activists stems from the symbolic, historical, and political reasons tied to the revolution's legacy under the current government.

The revolution erupted on 25 January because it was already Egypt's National Police Day, a holiday honouring the police force (dating back to a 1952 resistance against British colonial forces).

Activists and oppositional groups cleverly chose this date to subvert the official celebration, turning a day meant to praise the police into a massive protest against police brutality, corruption, poverty, and Mubarak's regime.

The irony was powerful, especially with the protesters using the regime's own holiday to demand its downfall, leading to the 18-day uprising that toppled Mubarak.

Many activists, including Abu Eita, who at the time of the uprising was the head of the Independent Workers' Union, see the date as sacred.

"This relentless drive to bury the memory of the revolution is what ultimately breaks the revolutionaries' spirit," Abu Eita said.

He described these actions as part of "a systematic campaign" by the authorities.

"Rather than honouring the courageous revolutionaries who fought for freedom and dignity, Egypt deliberately elevates the very policemen who suppressed them, portraying these forces as the true heroes worthy of public praise and admiration," he added.

Anger over the government's move is more palpable on social media, where ordinary people and activists are expressing frustration.

One activist referred to what he described as "foul play". 

Other activists view the shift as part of an unwavering state effort to gradually erase the revolution's legacy by detaching commemoration from its revolutionary roots.

Instead of honouring the 2011 uprising on its actual date, they say, the government is quietly reassigning it to a convenient weekday to depoliticise or minimise the event.

"The government has achieved genuine successes in erasing the memory of the revolution, and this latest decision is simply another step in building on that success," Essam Raslan, a veteran of the 2011 uprising, told TNA.

"Over time, young Egyptians will grow up knowing nothing about this monumental event. Bravo to the government," he sarcastically added.