On December 13, 1979, during a student demonstration protesting the new University Autonomy Law (LAU), twenty-two-year-old José Luis Montañés Gil and twenty-year-old Emilio Martínez Menéndez were shot and killed by police. José Luis died instantly, while Emilio passed away hours later at the hospital.

In the wave of protests against the young men's murder, graffiti demanding justice and remembrance for José Luis and Emilio spread throughout the city.

In early 2025, after removing a display case on the Faculty's 5th floor, the remains of a 1979 graffiti piece were discovered behind it. The text mentioned both students, reading: 'José Luis y Emilio, no os olvidamos' (José Luis and Emilio, we have not forgotten you). The Faculty’s Communications Office, together with Professor Cristina Mateos, decided it was essential to preserve and highlight this graffiti to create a space for collective memory.