Egypt: The 70th Police Day

The Police Day is celebrated every year on the 25th of January to commemorate Ismailia battle that took place on the same day in 1952 when the British occupiers killed 50 policemen and left 80 others wounded because the policemen refused to hand over their weapons and evacuate the governorate building to the British occupiers.

The Battle of Ismailia

The battle of Ismailia represents one of the chapters of the national struggle that erupted like a volcano following the cancellation of the 1936 treaty that imposed on Egypt to take the occupier as its guardian, to be forced to bear the burden of defending Britain’s interests, and to suffer the raids of the occupying army that demolished ports and abandoned cities.

As soon as the Second World War ended, the national movement erupted, demanding the cancellation of the treaty and the achievement of independence.

The Wafd government responded to this popular demand, and on the eighth of October 1951, Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Nahhas announced the cancellation of the treaty before the House of Representatives.

Within a few days, the youth of Egypt rose to the canal area to strike the British camps in the canal cities, where hot battles took place between the fedayeen “self-sacrificers” and the occupation armies.

At the same time, more than 91,572 Egyptian workers left the camps of the British to contribute to the national struggle movement, and the merchants also refrained from supplying the occupiers with foodstuffs.

This matter disturbed the London government, threatening to occupy Cairo if the activity of the fedayeen did not stop. However, the youth did not heed these threats and proceeded with their plan, disregarding the British military superiority, and they were able, with their modest weapons, to inflict heavy losses on the British.

The battle witnessed the alliance of the police forces with the people of the canal. The British realized that the fedayeen were working under the protection of the police, so they worked to evacuate the canal cities from the police forces so that they could single out civilians and strip them of any security cover, but the police forces refused to hand over the governorate building, although their weapons and training do not allow them to confront armed armies with cannons.

On Friday morning, January 25, 1952, the British commander in the canal area, Brigadier Kenneth Exham, summoned the Egyptian liaison officer, and handed him a warning that the Egyptian police forces in Ismailia have to hand over their weapons to the British forces, and leave the canal area and withdraw to Cairo.

The province rejected the British ultimatum and informed Fuad Sirag Eddin , the Minister of the Interior at this time, who asked the policemen to stand firm and resist and not to surrender.

The British commander became extremely angry and the refusal made him lose his nerve. Upon his orders, broadcasts were made using loudspeakers calling upon the police to surrender and hand over their weapons, a demand which the courageous policemen refused to comply to despite of being heavily surrounded by heavily armed British forces although they carried ordinary rifles and pistols.

More than 7,000 British soldiers equipped with machine guns, tanks and armors surrounded the Ismailia governorate building and its barracks, which were defended by only 850 soldiers who resented the threat and resisted under the leadership of the young Egyptian officer Mustafa Refaat.

The British forces fired their cannons brutally for more than 6 hour, while the Egyptian police heroes remained steadfast, resisting with their very old rifles against the most powerful cannons until their weapons ran out of ammunition.

Despite being heavily armed, the British infantry suffered fourteen causalities.

On the other hand, nearly 50 Egyptian policemen were killed and 73 were wounded.

The British were not satisfied with killing, wounding and capturing, but they also demolished peaceful villages belonging to the governorate, believing that the citizens engaged in the armed struggle against the colonization “fedayeen” hid in those villages.

This sparked significant outrage and passions in Cairo, as on Jan. 26, security police staged demonstrations in support to their comrades in the Canal Zone, and were joined by university students and workers, chanting against the British king himself, and calling to bear arms to confront the brutal enemy.

Since then, the day became a national day in Ismailia governorate. In 2009, a decision was issued to consider the 25th of Januaury an official holiday ‘Police Day’, in appreciation to police efforts and in recognition of their sacrifices.

On this day, the State is always keen on honoring the policemen who protect the homeland and defend Egypt against terrorism.

In this respect, President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi is keen on honoring the families of the police martyrs who were killed while performing their national duty and laying a wreath of flowers at the memorial of the police martyrs.

By Egypt Online.