Demonstrating policemen escalated their demands late Wednesday, calling for the dismissal of officers loyal to former Interior Minister Habib al-Adly, who is standing trial on charges of killing protesters during the revolution.
Lower-ranking policemen started their protest on Wednesday at the Maadi police station against the wishes of Major General Mohsen Mourad, Cairo's security chief.
Officers demanded Mourad be sacked for violating a ministry declaration that police shifts should not exceed eight hours per day. Mourad had earlier extended shifts to 12 hours. Several higher-ranking police officers also joined the protest.
Officer Youssef Gaafar said they would continue the open-ended sit-in across the country until Adly’s loyalists – including Mourad and the minister’s assistants – are dismissed.
The protests are being staged at police stations in Helwan, Shubra, Sayeda Zeinab, Maadi, Tebbeen and Matareya, Gaafar said, adding that ministry leaders are still acting in the same way as the Mubarak regime.
Major General Mahmoud Ali, Cairo's deputy chief of security, threatened and insulted the protesting officers, said Gaafar.
After being provoked, the protesters coordinated with their counterparts at other police stations across the country to hold a public strike.
Translated from the Arabic Edition
