The month of June, besides personal dates, holds significant milestones for collective memory. June 10, 2003, marked the inauguration of the sculptural group 'El abrazo' (The Embrace), by artist Juan Genovés, located in Antón Martín square, Madrid. This event, evoking indelible memories, adds to the annual commemoration of the attack on the Atocha Lawyers in January 1977, an act of Francoist violence that cut short lives and aspirations for justice and hope.

In the early 2000s, driven by CCOO of Madrid, the initiative arose for municipalities in the Community of Madrid to dedicate public spaces to the Atocha Lawyers. While over twenty-five municipalities responded positively, the capital, the Madrid City Council, maintained institutional silence until 2002. It was then, at the proposal of IU and PSOE, that a unanimous agreement was reached to pay homage in Antón Martín square, settling a moral debt.

CCOO of Madrid's proposal was to transform Juan Genovés' iconic painting 'El abrazo' into a sculpture. The artist accepted the commitment, and after negotiations and conversations, the bronze work materialized on June 10, 2003, in Antón Martín square, a symbolic location near Atocha 55. The sculpture depicts men and women fused in an embrace that defies violence and responds to hate with humanity.

Coincidentally, on the same day, at the Assembly of Madrid, the 'Tamayazo' unfolded, an event representing betrayal, contrasting with the consensus and democratic memory symbolized by 'El abrazo'. The author, who was Head of Communication for CCOO of Madrid, expresses deep personal emotion upon seeing the sculpture, recognizing that small fragments of his own life are also within that bronze.

'El abrazo' not only commemorates the Atocha Lawyers but has also become a Place of Democratic Memory. The author reflects on the importance of these dates and how memory, stubborn and alive, refuses to yield to oblivion, anchoring names and values in people's daily lives.