Embajadores in Madrid, Spain — Southwestern Europe (Iberian Peninsula)

A Los Abogados de Atocha / In Memory of the Lawyers of Atocha

Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, November 8, 2022

1. A Los Abogados de Atocha / In Memory of the Lawyers of Atocha Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

Si el eco de su voz se debilita, pereceremos (Paul Éluard)

El 24 de enero de 1977, en un despacho de Abogados Laboralistas que estaba situado en el número 55 de esta misma calle Atocha, fueron asesinados cuatro abogados y un sindicalista, dejando malheridos a cuatro abogados más. Todos ellos miembros del PCE y de CCOO.

Esta escultura reproduce el cuadro de Juan Genovés conocido como "El Abrazo", símbolo de la restauración de la libertad.

Fue inaugurado por el Ayuntamiento de Madrid el 10 de junio de 2003, como homenaje a quienes murieron en ese despacho laboralista. Es el homenaje a cuantos murieron por la libertad en España.

El 24 de enero de 2007. con motivo del 30 aniversario de este luctuoso suceso se instala esta placa explicativa, para conocimiento del Pueblo de Madrid y de quienes nos visitan.

(English translation:)

If the echo of their voice weakens, we will perish (Paul Éluard)

On January 24, 1977, in a Labor Lawyers office located at number 55 of this very same street, Atocha, four lawyers and a trade unionist were

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assassinated, leaving four more lawyers badly injured. All of them were members of the PCE (Communist Party of Spain) and CCOO (Workers' Commissions).

This sculpture reproduces the painting by Juan Genovés known as "El Abrazo", a symbol of the restoration of freedom.

It was inaugurated by the Madrid City Council on June 10, 2003, as a tribute to those who died in that labor office. It is the tribute to those who died for freedom in Spain.

On January 24, 2007, on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of this tragic event, this explanatory plaque was installed, for the knowledge of the People of Madrid and for those who visit us.

Erected 2007 by Ayuntamiento de Madrid, Fundacion Abogados de Atocha.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Labor Unions. A significant historical date for this entry is January 24, 1977.

Location. 40° 24.745′ N, 3° 41.96′ W. Marker is in Madrid. It is in Embajadores. Marker is at the intersection of Calle de Atocha and Plazuela de San Antón Martín, on the left when traveling east on Calle de Atocha. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Madrid 28012, Spain. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Serguei Prokofiev (a few steps from this marker); Motín de Esquilache / Esquilache Riots (within shouting distance of this marker); Bartolomé Carducho

A Los Abogados de Atocha / In Memory of the Lawyers of Atocha Marker - wide view image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, November 8, 2022

2. A Los Abogados de Atocha / In Memory of the Lawyers of Atocha Marker - wide view

(within shouting distance of this marker); Teatro Variedades (within shouting distance of this marker); Antón Martín (within shouting distance of this marker); Jacinto Benavente (within shouting distance of this marker); Marcelino Menendez y Pelayo (about 120 meters away, measured in a direct line); Antonia Merce (about 120 meters away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Madrid.

Also see . . . 1977 Atocha massacre (Wikipedia).

Excerpt: The 1977 Atocha massacre was an attack by right-wing extremists in the center of Madrid on January 24, 1977, which saw the assassination of five labor activists from the Communist Party of Spain (PCE) and the workers' federation Comisiones Obreras (CC.OO). The act occurred within the wider context of far-right reaction to Spain's transition to constitutional democracy following the death of dictator Francisco Franco. Intended to provoke a violent left-wing response that would provide legitimacy for a subsequent right-wing counter coup d'état, the massacre had an immediate opposite effect; generating mass popular revulsion of the far-right and accelerating
Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, January 26, 1977

3. Funeral procession of the Atocha lawyers, Madrid, 26 January 1977
Between 50,000 and 100,000 people stood silently with fists raised during the procession of the hearses containing the bodies of three of the people killed during the Atocha massacre, Madrid.
the legalization of the long-banned Communist Party.… The events surrounding the massacre are generally considered a crucial turning point in the consolidation of Spain's return to democracy in the late 1970s. Writing on the 40th anniversary of the massacre, journalist Juancho Dumall noted: "It was a terrorist act that marked the future of the country in a way that the murderers would never have suspected and, instead, was the one desired by the victims." Memorialized annually, across Madrid there are 25 streets and squares dedicated to the victims of the Atocha massacre.

(Submitted on December 21, 2022.)

Credits. This page was last revised on February 2, 2023. It was originally submitted on December 21, 2022, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 103 times since then and 29 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on December 21, 2022, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.