Egypt marked the anniversary of the 25 January 2011 revolution on Saturday amid official disregard for the occasion and renewed attacks by pro-government figures, prompting criticism from political activists who accuse the authorities of seeking to erase the uprising from public memory.
Last Thursday, the Interior Ministry sent congratulatory messages to its personnel and the public to mark “Police Day”, an annual event observed on 25 January for decades, without acknowledging its link to the revolution. The uprising is recognised as an official public holiday under the constitution adopted in 2012 and amended in 2014.
The ministry’s stance reflects a broader official narrative that denies the legitimacy of the 2011 revolution and places responsibility for Egypt’s political and economic crises on the uprising itself.
Fifteen years ago, Egyptians took to the streets on 25 January to protest widespread police abuses and broader grievances against the regime, with demonstrations spreading nationwide and eventually leading to the overthrow of then-dictator Hosni Mubarak.
This led to the election of Egypt's first democratically elected president, Mohamed Morsi, who was subsequently overthrown in a brutal coup by current ruler Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
This year’s anniversary comes amid unprecedented rises in the cost of living and a sharp contraction of public freedoms, including restrictions on party politics and human rights activity. It has also coincided with the reappearance of figures associated with Mubarak’s regime in pro-government media, attacking the revolution and portraying it as a foreign conspiracy.
Former State Security chief Hassan Abdel Rahman appeared on Sada El Balad TV alongside broadcaster Mostafa Bakry, claiming that "the events of 25 January were not spontaneous, but rather a carefully planned conspiracy targeting the Egyptian state".
Abdel Rahman headed the State Security Investigations Service under Mubarak and was previously charged in cases related to the killing of protesters and the destruction of State Security documents during the uprising.
He said he had "warned early on" of Muslim Brotherhood plans to reach power and accused the group of exploiting religious discourse. Abdel Rahman also denied any abuses carried out by the State Security apparatus before or during the January 25 uprising.
His remarks were followed by comments from Senate member and El-Gil Party leader Nagi El-Shehabi, who said during a parliamentary session: "We do not recognise 25 January as anything other than Police Day in Egypt".
El-Shehabi was appointed to the Shura Council by Mubarak in 2010, before later winning a parliamentary seat in 2012 on the lists of the Freedom and Justice Party, the political wing of the Muslim Brotherhood, which he later criticised following the military’s coup against Morsi.
State-owned television channels and outlets affiliated with United Media Services marked Police Day with Interior Ministry branding, without reference to the revolution. Members of parliament in both chambers also publicly congratulated Egyptians on Police Day via social media, with no mention of the uprising.
Amr Hashem Rabie, deputy director of the Al-Ahram Centre for Political Studies and a member of the Board of Trustees of the National Dialogue, said the timing of the media appearances was deliberate.
"Hosting former officers to attack the 25 January Revolution is almost an annual occurrence timed with its anniversary," Rabie told The New Arab's Arabic edition Al-Araby Al-Jadeed. He said the aim was to entrench claims that the revolution was an "American conspiracy" and to warn against its repetition amid regional geopolitical tensions and Egypt’s economic crisis.
Rabie added that the revolution "ended the project of hereditary rule in Egypt and shattered the barrier of fear among citizens", something he said the current system fears could be repeated. He noted that the constitution recognises the legitimacy of the revolution, and that describing it as a conspiracy violates the constitution.
Ahmed Maher, founder of the April 6 Youth Movement, rejected Abdel Rahman’s claims, saying abuses committed by State Security under his leadership were "a primary and direct reason" for the protests.
"Those violations led citizens to take to the streets on 25 January 2011, culminating in the overthrow of Mubarak," Maher said in a Facebook post.
Former MP Haitham El-Hariri said claims that the revolution was a conspiracy reflect the position of the current authorities and ignore the social and economic conditions that fuelled the uprising.
"These included widespread unemployment, rising prices, declining incomes, election rigging, and security abuses," El-Hariri told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed. He added that current economic policies "are far removed from the spirit of the revolution and Egyptians’ demands for bread, freedom, and social justice".
Since Sisi came to power in 2014, Egypt has faced rising debt, inflation, and a sharp decline in the value of its currency, driven in part by large-scale borrowing to finance major infrastructure projects.
According to government data, Egypt’s external debt rose from about $43.2 billion in June 2013 to $163.71 billion in September 2025.
Moreover, his regime has overseen a near-constant crackdown on all opposition, with around 60,000 political prisoners, the vast majority of whom have not been given fair trials and have faced torture or other abuses. Many have also faced the death penalty.
According to human rights groups, thousands of Egyptians have also been subject to enforced disappearances by security forces.