Raul Carrion

Raul Kroeff Machado Carrion
Raul in 2023 at a pro-Palestine rally
City Councillor of Porto Alegre
In office
1 January 2001 – 31 January 2007
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Rio Grande do Sul
In office
1 February 2007 – 31 January 2015
ConstituencyRio Grande do Sul
Personal details
Born (1945-12-22) December 22, 1945 (age 80)
Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
PartyCommunist Party of Brazil
SpouseElvira Ballester Lafertt (m. 1972; died 2025)
Education
OccupationHistorian
labor union leader
writer
politician
Known for
Political and union activism against the Brazilian military dictatorship; historical writings on the Communist Party of Brazil in Rio Grande do Sul
Websiteraulcarrion.com.br

Raul Kroeff Machado Carrion (December 22, 1945) is a Brazilian historian, labor union leader, writer, and politician. He served as a city council member in Porto Alegre and twice as a state deputy for Rio Grande do Sul, having been an active member of the Communist Party of Brazil (PCdoB) for more than 50 years.

Biography

Raul Carrion was born in the city of Porto Alegre on December 22, 1945, the son of Erna Maria Kroeff Carrion, a teacher, and Francisco Machado Carrion, a lawyer who taught at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS). He attended elementary and high school at traditional schools in the capital city of Porto Alegre, such as Colégio Farroupilha and Colégio Anchieta. He became politically active at age 17, inspired by the movements for the Reformas de Base [pt], a series of left-leaning reforms, of then-President João Goulart, and joined the Christian leftist movement known as Ação Popular [pt].

After passing the college entrance exam, he enrolled at the UFRGS in 1964 to study chemical engineering. He soon began to get involved in activism within the university, through student councils and the National Union of Students (UNE). In 1967, he dropped out of the chemical engineering program to devote himself to political life and the labor movements in Porto Alegre, joining the transportation and metalworkers’ unions. In 1969, he secured a job as a machine operator at a shoe component factory in the city of Novo Hamburgo, in the interior of Rio Grande do Sul. There, he became involved in labor unions. Also that year, with the merger of Ação Popular-ML into the Communist Party of Brazil (PCdoB), Carrion became a party activist. In 1970, he re-enrolled at the UFRGS, this time to study chemistry.

In 1971, due to his political and union activism, Carrion was arrested by the Brazilian military dictatorship. As a result, he had to abandon his course and stop his studies. At the Department of Political and Social Order, he was subjected to torture methods such as the “pau de arara” and electric shocks after being accused of being a propagandist for the PCdoB and allegedly delivering ammunition to another party activist. After his release from torture, he went into exile in Chile, where he had a brother-in-law. There, he sought help from a professor at UFRGS, Ernani Maria Fiori of the Philosophy Department, who had been expelled and stripped of his teaching credentials due to his political views. Fiori was teaching at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile (UC Chile) and secured a spot for Carrion in the chemistry program.

In 1973, following Augusto Pinochet’s coup in Chile, which ousted the then-president and Socialist Party leader Salvador Allende, Carrion was forced to flee to Argentina in search of political asylum. After getting married in Chile, he went into hiding in Argentina, where he organized the party. Following Jorge Rafael Videla’s 1976 coup in Argentina, Carrion returned to Brazil, traveling clandestinely to Goiânia. His wife was unable to return and remained in Argentina. It was not until 1979, with the passage of the Amnesty Law, that his wife was able to return safely to Brazil, and the couple returned together to Porto Alegre.

During the 1980s, Carrion began working in the metalworking industry, where he became involved in the labor movement. He worked at various factories in the electronics and metalworking sectors and also participated in the Diretas Já campaign. After the dictatorship came to an end, in the 1986 elections, Carrion was nominated as the PCdoB’s candidate for the Senate. However, his alternate, José Loguércio, had not yet turned 35, and the ticket was rejected.

In 1988 [pt], he ran for mayor of Porto Alegre on the PCdoB ticket, on a ticket with José Loguércio; however, they received only 2,671 votes, and he was the candidate with the fewest votes that year. In 1989, he traveled throughout Rio Grande do Sul, campaigning for Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) to become president against Fernando Collor de Mello (PRN).

In 1992, he ran for city councilor in Porto Alegre, but was named first alternate and served as a councilor on a few occasions. In 1996, he returned to his studies and took the UFRGS entrance exam for the history program. He graduated in 1998, and at his suggestion, his class invited economist and leader of the Landless Workers' Movement (MST), João Pedro Stédile, to serve as their guest of honor. His thesis was titled “The Communist Party of Brazil in Rio Grande do Sul—1922–1929.”

In 2004 [pt], he ran for city councilor in Porto Alegre and was elected with 8,405 votes. His coalition comprised the Workers’ Party (PT), the Communist Party of Brazil (PCdoB), the Brazilian Socialist Party (PSB), and the Brazilian Communist Party (PCB), which elected Tarso Genro as mayor of the city.

In 2004 [pt], he ran for reelection to the city council, receiving 11,651 votes, the fourth-highest total in that election. The PCdoB elected four more city council members in that election: Pedro Dias, Arthur Bloise, and Manuela d'Ávila. In that election, the PCdoB formed a coalition with the PT in support of candidate Raul Pont, who was defeated by José Fogaça of the Popular Socialist Party (PPS).

In the 2006 state election, following a decision by his party, he ran for state representative and was elected with 41,549 votes. In 2010, he ran for reelection as state representative and was re-elected with 34,791 votes In 2010 state election, he was one of the state deputies from Rio Grande do Sul who voted in favor of a 73% raise in their own salaries in December, a fact that inspired a critical song titled “Gangue da Matriz,” composed and performed by musician Tonho Crocco [pt], whose lyrics name the 36 representatives (including Raul Carrion) who supported this self-granted pay raise; Giovani Cherini (PDT), who was president of the Legislative Assembly of Rio Grande do Sul (ALRS) at the time, filed a complaint against the musician. Cherini argued that it was a crime against his honor and that the song title was extremely aggressive and made reference to criminals who had killed the young man Alex Thomas. At the time, Adão Villaverde [pt] (PT), who later became Cherini’s successor as president of t ALRS, expressed his dissatisfaction, disagreeing with Cherini’s decision, but in August of that same year, Giovani Cherini himself filed a motion to dismiss the case against the musician, arguing that he was not a victim in the proceedings (his name did not appear in the lyrics, since, as president of the Rio Grande do Sul legislature at the time, he could not vote) and that he defended freedom of expression. At the time, Tonho received support from a company that put up 20 billboards throughout the capital, Porto Alegre, as well as immense support on social media.

Back in 2013, he took stock of his political career and decided not to run for reelection or seek new office. However, he stated that he would not abandon his political activism.

In 2019, he released his autobiography, Raul Carrion – A Luta Vale a Pena! published by Anita Garibaldi.

Personal life

He married Elvira Ballester Lafertt, a teacher and political activist, in 1972; she died in June 2025. Elvira already had a seven-year-old daughter, who became Raul’s stepdaughter.

Selected works

Books

Reports and pamphlets

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Raul Carrion: militante histórico do PCdoB lança autobiografia". Communist Party of Brazil (in Brazilian Portuguese). November 14, 2019. Archived from the original on November 30, 2024. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
  2. ↑ ""Temos orgulho da luta que fizemos contra a ditadura", diz ex deputado Raul Carrion". PT Assembleia RS (in Brazilian Portuguese). Partido dos Trabalhadores. August 12, 2020. Archived from the original on September 9, 2026. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
  3. ↑ Dutra, Tatiana (March 12, 2026). "Conferência Internacional Antifascista lança programação em Porto Alegre". Revista Movimento (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on April 22, 2026. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
  4. ↑ Paz, Walmaro (November 12, 2019). "Autobiografia 'Raul Carrion, A luta vale a Pena' será lançada em Porto Alegre". Brasil de Fato (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on March 25, 2023. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
  5. ↑ "Conheça 15 leis bizarras criadas por políticos bem criativos". Brasil Online. July 6, 2015. Archived from the original on September 9, 2026. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
  6. ↑ Schaffner, Raul (November 27, 2020). "A estudante combativa que chamou a atenção de deputado do PCdoB: a trajetória de Manuela D'Ávila até a disputa pela prefeitura de Porto Alegre". Zero Hora. Archived from the original on January 22, 2021. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
  7. ↑ "FRANCISCO MACHADO CARRION JUNIOR". Centro de Pesquisa e Documentação de História Contemporânea do Brasil (in Brazilian Portuguese). Fundação Getúlio Vargas. Archived from the original on October 9, 2025. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "Raul Carrion - Historiador". Raul Carrion. Archived from the original on May 18, 2026. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
  9. ↑ Cintra, Andre (November 14, 2019). "Walmaro Paz: Raul Carrion, a luta vale a pena". Vermelho (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on October 12, 2025. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
  10. ↑ Maneschy, Osvaldo; Gomes, Apio (April 16, 2019). "Raul Carrion: "Jango nunca foi comunista. Era um nacionalista com grande sensibilidade social" – PDT". Democratic Labour Party (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on January 23, 2026. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
  11. ↑ Lima, Haroldo (1973). História da ação popular: da JUC ao PCdoB [History of the Popular Action Movement: From the JUC to the PCdoB] (in Brazilian Portuguese). Editora Alfa-Ômega. pp. 19–43.
  12. ↑ "Acervo da Luta Contra a Ditadura: Raul Kroeff Machado Carrion". Acervo Ditadura. Archived from the original on May 24, 2025. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
  13. ↑ "Comunista Raul Carrion depõe à Comissão da Verdade". Jornal do Comércio (in Brazilian Portuguese). February 7, 2013. Archived from the original on October 9, 2025. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
  14. ↑ Almeida, José (September 2, 2011). "Pesquisadores e ex-deputado discutem contexto de resistência legalista". Legislative Assembly of Rio Grande do Sul. Archived from the original on August 25, 2022. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  15. ↑ "UFRGS pretende republicar obras do professor Ernani Maria Fiori". Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (in Brazilian Portuguese). September 17, 2013. Archived from the original on December 15, 2024. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
  16. 1 2 Reinholz, Fabiana (August 28, 2019). "Raul Carrion: "De quê que eu deveria ser anistiado? Por defender a Constituição?"". Brasil de Fato (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on August 9, 2025. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
  17. 1 2 Carrion, Raul (September 11, 2023). "50 anos do golpe no Chile – Memórias e reflexões de um exilado brasileiro". Internacionalismo 21 (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on September 9, 2026. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
  18. ↑ "Raul Carrion depõe em comissão da Memória, Verdade e Justiça da Alergs". Associação Brasileira de Anistiados Políticos (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on October 12, 2025. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
  19. ↑ "Ata geral das eleições municipais de 15/11/88" (PDF). Tribunal Regional Eleitoral do Rio Grande do Sul. November 15, 1988. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 9, 2026. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
  20. ↑ "Raul Carrion homenageia os 75 anos da Fecosul". Legislative Assembly of Rio Grande do Sul (in Brazilian Portuguese). October 17, 2013. Archived from the original on December 12, 2024. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
  21. ↑ "XI Legislatura – Memorial". Municipal Chamber of Porto Alegre (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on April 18, 2025. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
  22. ↑ Konrad, Diorge (September 5, 2006). "História do PCdoB no Rio Grande do Sul". Vermelho. Archived from the original on October 10, 2025. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
  23. ↑ "Perfil da cidade: Porto Alegre". Folha de S. Paulo. Archived from the original on January 3, 2025. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
  24. ↑ "Tarso Genro vence eleição em Porto Alegre". Folha de S. Paulo. October 29, 2000. Archived from the original on September 9, 2026. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
  25. ↑ Souza, Carlos; Gerchmann, Léo (April 11, 2000). "Genro atribui escolha à aproximação de facções". Folha de S. Paulo. Archived from the original on July 10, 2022. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
  26. 1 2 3 "Placar RS | Porto Alegre | 2004". Universo Online. Archived from the original on August 7, 2026. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
  27. ↑ "Folha Online - Especial - 2006 - Eleições - Apuração - Rio Grande do Sul - Deputado Estadual". Folha de S. Paulo. Archived from the original on December 4, 2025. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
  28. ↑ "Apuração de votos e candidatos eleitos (1º turno) - UOL Eleições 2010". Universo Online. Archived from the original on February 10, 2025. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
  29. ↑ "Vou a centros comerciais e uso telefone inteligente, diz autor de projeto contra estrangeirismos". Zero Hora. April 20, 2011. Archived from the original on December 12, 2024. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
  30. ↑ Prestes, Felipe. "Deputados estaduais aprovam reajuste de mais de 73% em seus salários - Sul 21". Sul 21 (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on January 11, 2023. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
  31. ↑ Azevedo, Lucas (August 3, 2011). "Músico protesta contra aumento de salários de deputados e pode ser enquadrado por "crime contra a honra"". Universo Online (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on April 26, 2021. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
  32. ↑ Raphael, Bruno (August 5, 2011). "Tonho Crocco afirma que processo por "Gangue da Matriz" não foi retirado". Rolling Stone Brasil (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on September 9, 2026. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
  33. 1 2 "Para Cherini, título de música de Tonho Crocco "é extremamente agressivo"". Correio do Povo (in Brazilian Portuguese). August 3, 2011. Archived from the original on August 7, 2026. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
  34. ↑ "Justiça arquiva processo contra Tonho Crocco". Correio do Povo (in Brazilian Portuguese). August 8, 2011. Archived from the original on August 7, 2026. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
  35. 1 2 Ávila, Ana (September 8, 2014). "Em seu último mandato, Raul Carrion defende alianças e papel do PCdoB nos 12 anos de governo do PT". Sul21. Archived from the original on October 9, 2025. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
  36. ↑ Cintra, Andre (November 15, 2019). "Pré-lançamento da autobiografia de Raul Carrion lota Salão da ARI". Vermelho (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on October 9, 2025. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
  37. ↑ "Morreu Elvira Lafertt, companheira do ex-deputado estadual do RS Raul Carrion". Brasil de Fato (in Brazilian Portuguese). June 5, 2025. Archived from the original on October 24, 2025. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
  38. ↑ Luz e Sombras: Ensaios de Interpretação Marxista [Light and Shadows: Essays in Marxist Interpretation] (in Portuguese). Passo Fundo: Universidade de Passo Fundo / Centro de Estudos Marxistas do Rio Grande do Sul (CEM/RS). n.d.
  39. ↑ Os Fios de Ariadne: Ensaios de Interpretação Marxista [Ariadne's Threads: Essays in Marxist Interpretation] (in Portuguese). Passo Fundo: Universidade de Passo Fundo / CEM/RS. n.d.
  40. ↑ Os Trabalhos e os Dias: Ensaios de Interpretação Marxista [Works and Days: Essays in Marxist Interpretation] (in Portuguese). Passo Fundo: Universidade de Passo Fundo / CEM/RS. n.d.
  41. ↑ As Portas de Tebas: Ensaios de Interpretação Marxista [The Gates of Thebes: Essays in Marxist Interpretation] (in Portuguese). Passo Fundo: Universidade de Passo Fundo / CEM/RS. n.d.
  42. ↑ Globalização, Neoliberalismo, Privatizações — Quem Decide Este Jogo? [Globalization, Neoliberalism, Privatizations — Who Decides This Game?] (in Portuguese). Porto Alegre: Editora da Universidade/UFRGS, CEDESP/RS, Prefeitura Municipal de Porto Alegre. 1997.
  43. ↑ Século XXI — Barbárie ou Solidariedade? [21st Century — Barbarism or Solidarity?] (in Portuguese). Porto Alegre: Editora da Universidade/UFRGS, CEDESP/RS, Prefeitura Municipal de Porto Alegre. 1998.
  44. ↑ A Crise do Capitalismo Globalizado na Virada do Milênio [The Crisis of Globalized Capitalism at the Turn of the Millennium] (in Portuguese). Porto Alegre: Editora da Universidade/UFRGS, CEDESP/RS, Prefeitura Municipal de Porto Alegre. 1999.
  45. ↑ Carrion, Raul (2008). "Os Lanceiros Negros na Revolução Farroupilha" [The Black Lancers in the Ragamuffin War] (PDF) (in Portuguese) (4th ed.). Gabinete do Deputado Raul Carrion, Assembleia Legislativa do Rio Grande do Sul. Retrieved 9 September 2026.
  46. ↑ Dias, Pedro (2008). "Histórico da Luta pela Moradia do Parque dos Mayas: das Grandes Ocupações em 1987 até a Negociação Final em 2007" [History of the Housing Struggle at Parque dos Mayas: From the Great Occupations of 1987 to the Final Settlement in 2007] (PDF) (in Portuguese). foreword by Raul Carrion. Bancada do PCdoB, Assembleia Legislativa do Rio Grande do Sul. Retrieved 9 September 2026.
  47. ↑ Carrion, Raul; Barbosa, Alceu; Moraes, Marcelo; Schuch, Heitor (April 2011). "Relatório da Delegação de Deputados da Assembleia Legislativa do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul ao Vietnã" [Report of the Delegation of Deputies of the Rio Grande do Sul Legislative Assembly to Vietnam] (PDF) (in Portuguese). Assembleia Legislativa do Rio Grande do Sul. Retrieved 9 September 2026.
  48. ↑ Carrion, Raul (2012). "PCdoB 90 Anos: em Defesa da Democracia, da Soberania Nacional, dos Direitos dos Trabalhadores e do Socialismo" [PCdoB 90 Years: In Defense of Democracy, National Sovereignty, Workers' Rights and Socialism] (PDF) (in Portuguese). Bancada do PCdoB, Assembleia Legislativa do Rio Grande do Sul. Retrieved 9 September 2026.
  49. ↑ Carrion, Raul; Formolo, Marisa; Breier, Miki; Oliboni, Aldacir; Sossella, Gilmar (April–May 2013). "Relatório: Missão Oficial da Assembleia Legislativa do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul à Palestina e Israel" [Report: Official Mission of the Rio Grande do Sul Legislative Assembly to Palestine and Israel] (PDF) (in Portuguese). Assembleia Legislativa do Rio Grande do Sul. Retrieved 9 September 2026.
  50. ↑ Carrion, Raul; Formolo, Marisa; Marroni, Miriam (November–December 2013). "Relatório: Missão Oficial da Assembleia Legislativa do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul à República Popular da China" [Report: Official Mission of the Rio Grande do Sul Legislative Assembly to the People's Republic of China] (PDF) (in Portuguese). Assembleia Legislativa do Rio Grande do Sul. Retrieved 9 September 2026.
  51. ↑ "Raul Carrion: 50 Anos de Militância Política e Revolucionária" [Raul Carrion: 50 Years of Political and Revolutionary Militancy] (PDF) (in Portuguese). Gabinete do Deputado Raul Carrion, Assembleia Legislativa do Rio Grande do Sul. 2013. Retrieved 9 September 2026.
  52. ↑ Carrion, Raul (February 2014). "Cartilha da Lei Maria da Penha" [Handbook on the Maria da Penha Law] (PDF) (in Portuguese) (4th ed.). Gabinete do Deputado Raul Carrion, Assembleia Legislativa do Rio Grande do Sul. Retrieved 9 September 2026.
  53. ↑ Carrion, Raul (March 2014). "Revolução Farroupilha: a Mais Longa Revolta Republicana Enfrentada pelo Império Centralizador e Escravocrata" [Ragamuffin War: The Longest Republican Revolt Faced by the Centralizing, Slaveholding Empire] (PDF) (in Portuguese) (6th ed.). Gabinete do Deputado Raul Carrion, Assembleia Legislativa do Rio Grande do Sul. Retrieved 9 September 2026.
  54. ↑ Carrion, Raul (2014). "Coluna Prestes: 90 Anos (1924–2014)" [Prestes Column: 90 Years (1924–2014)] (PDF) (in Portuguese). Gabinete do Deputado Raul Carrion, Assembleia Legislativa do Rio Grande do Sul. Retrieved 9 September 2026.
  55. ↑ "50 Anos do Golpe Militar no Brasil" [50 Years of the Military Coup in Brazil] (PDF) (in Portuguese). Bancada do PCdoB, Assembleia Legislativa do Rio Grande do Sul. 2014. Retrieved 9 September 2026.
  56. ↑ Carrion, Raul (September 2014). "Relatório da Viagem à República Popular Democrática da Coreia" [Report on the Trip to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea] (PDF) (in Portuguese). Assembleia Legislativa do Rio Grande do Sul. Retrieved 9 September 2026.
  57. ↑ Carrion, Raul (October 2014). "Estatuto Estadual da Igualdade Racial" [State Statute of Racial Equality] (PDF) (in Portuguese) (2nd ed.). Gabinete do Deputado Raul Carrion, Assembleia Legislativa do Rio Grande do Sul. Retrieved 9 September 2026.
  58. ↑ Carrion, Raul (November 2014). "Relatório: Visita de uma Delegação da Assembleia Legislativa do Rio Grande do Sul à República de Cuba" [Report: Visit of a Delegation of the Rio Grande do Sul Legislative Assembly to the Republic of Cuba] (PDF) (in Portuguese). Assembleia Legislativa do Rio Grande do Sul. Retrieved 9 September 2026.
  59. ↑ "Cartilha dos Direitos Fundamentais do Trabalhador" [Handbook of Fundamental Workers' Rights] (PDF) (in Portuguese). Gabinete do Deputado Raul Carrion, Assembleia Legislativa do Rio Grande do Sul. n.d. Retrieved 9 September 2026.