CAIRO, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Egypt's interior ministry said Thursday in a statement the police is unbiased toward all political forces.
"The police apparatus does not take sides or interfere in the protests, provided they are committed to peacefulness," the ministry said in a statement.
The interior ministry asserted that the police's main task is to maintain public order and protect people's lives and properties, noting that "All government institutions are owned by the people and work for their interest."
The statement underlined that the police adopted utmost self- restraint in dealing with protesters for the safety of citizens.
The statement is issued ahead of a court ruling scheduled for March 9 over last year's bloody riots after a football match at a stadium in Port Said that killed more than 70, mostly from Cairo.
Port Said governorate has witnessed violent clashes since Jan. 26 between protesters and security forces which left 40 killed and hundreds injured, after a court sentenced 21 defendants to death.
Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi declared a state of emergency and imposed a curfew in the Suez Canal governorates of Port Said, Ismailia and Suez for thirty days.
Residents in the three governorates were enraged, challenging the curfew amid calls for civil disobedience.
The statement also urged the Egyptians for peaceful expression of opinion and demands, warning them not to clash with security forces or attack public institutions.
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