Five years ago, thousands of Egyptians called for protests on the 25th of January to ask for "bread, freedom and social justice" and express their opinion regarding police violations. The protesters managed to topple 30-year autocrat Hosni Mubarak after eighteen days of protests and clashes with the police. Back then, that day only commemorated the national day of Egyptian police. What does it represent to Egyptians today?
As authorities arrested some activists, shut down cultural spaces and conducted mass searches of flats in downtown ahead of the fifth anniversary of the uprising, I decided to cover the situation in a spot where more than 800 where killed -- Cairo's liberation square or Tahrir square. Contrary to the previous four years -- where I would see thousands in the square for the anniversary, whether to protest or 'celebrate' -- this year was shockingly different. As it started to rain, I arrived to Tahrir late in the afternoon to find it 'purely occupied' by security forces. To show their support for the government, only a few dozen of people walked near police patrols to hand out flowers, praise them, take selfies or chant for the police, and then they would be asked to leave. I was asked by police several times to stop taking pictures so I would not "mobilize people in front of the camera". I kept walking around until I came across a woman who was, by herself, shouting and chanting against the uprising and the activists behind it.
While many Egyptians consider that day to be the 'day of the revolution' but are afraid of protesting or celebrating anymore, many others consider it to be the 'day of the police' only as they have been against the uprising from the beginning or because they lost their jobs or hope following the country's political turmoil.
Some Egyptians consider that day to be the 'day of the police' only as they have been against the political movements from the beginning or because they lost their jobs following political events, some consider it the 'day of the revolution' but are afraid of expressing their opinion anymore, while many others lost hope along the way as they never fulfilled their dreams.