Martina Anderson

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Martina Anderson
MEP
Martina Anderson MEP, Strasbourg - Diliff.jpg
Member of the European Parliament
for Northern Ireland
Assumed office
12 June 2012
Preceded by Bairbre de Brún
Junior Minister at the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister
In office
16 May 2011 – 11 June 2012
Serving with Jonathan Bell
Preceded by Gerry Kelly
Succeeded by Jennifer McCann
Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly
for Foyle
In office
7 March 2007 – 11 June 2012
Preceded by Mitchel McLaughlin
Succeeded by Maeve McLaughlin
Personal details
Born (1962-04-16) 16 April 1962 (age 62)[1]
Derry, Northern Ireland
Nationality Irish
Political party Sinn Féin
Spouse(s) Paul Kavanagh
Children None
Website martinamep.eu

Martina Anderson (born 16 April 1962) is an Irish politician in Northern Ireland who is a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) representing Northern Ireland for Sinn Féin. She is a former volunteer of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) and a convicted bomber. [2][3] Between 2007 and 2012 she was an MLA representing Foyle.

Biography

Anderson was born in the Bogside in Londonderry, Northern Ireland, into a large family with a tradition of Irish republicanism. Her father was a Protestant. She has six sisters and three brothers, one of whom, Peter, is a Sinn Féin councillor.

Anderson was arrested aged 18 leaving a furniture store in Derry and charged with possession of a firearm and causing an explosion. She was released on bail after spending two months in Armagh Women's Prison, and fled across the border to Buncrana in County Donegal.[3]

Anderson was again arrested on 24 June 1985 at a flat in Glasgow with four other IRA members including Brighton bomber Patrick Magee. On 11 June 1986, all five were convicted of conspiring to cause explosions in England, although Magee was the only person convicted in relation to the Brighton hotel bombing.[4][5]

In 1989, Anderson married fellow prisoner and IRA member Paul Kavanagh at Full Sutton Prison. By 1993 she was one of just two female category A prisoners in England, the other being fellow republican Ella O'Dwyer.[6] In 1994, she was transferred from Durham Prison in England to Maghaberry Prison in Northern Ireland. On 10 November 1998, Anderson was released under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement.

On 22 March 2016, Anderson was forced to cancel an event in light of the 2016 Brussels bombings.[7]

Political career

In 2007 Anderson was elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly as a Sinn Féin member for Foyle, along with Raymond McCartney.[8]

In May 2007 Anderson became one of the first Sinn Féin members to join the Northern Ireland Policing Board.[9]

In December 2007 Anderson said she was concerned that large numbers of migrant workers from mainly Catholic countries were being classed as 'Catholic/nationalist' in monitoring forms, rather than 'other'.[10] She said "Given that the entire basis of the legislation around monitoring was put in place to identify imbalances in the workforce between the local Catholic/nationalist and Protestant/ unionist communities it is therefore vital that given the addition of migrant workers in the workforce, that they should clearly be categorised as having a community background of 'other'."[10] Employment monitoring by the Equality Commission records solely religion, and not political affiliation.[11]

She occupies the post of Director of Unionist Engagement for Sinn Féin[12][citation needed]

She was selected by Sinn Féin to fight the Foyle constituency at the 2010 Westminster General Election.[13] She lost to the SDLP incumbent, Mark Durkan by 5,000 votes (11% of the vote). In May 2012 it was announced that she would be replacing Bairbre de Brún, as MEP for Northern Ireland.[14] Anderson retained her MEP seat in the 2014 election, topping the poll with 159,813 first-preference votes.[15]

References

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External links

Political offices
European Parliament
Preceded by MEP for Northern Ireland
2012 –		 Succeeded by
Incumbent
Northern Ireland Assembly
Preceded by MLA for Foyle
2007–2012		 Succeeded by
Maeve McLaughlin
Political offices
Preceded by Junior Minister
2011–2012		 Succeeded by
Jennifer McCann
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  6. ↑ Sharrock, David, Fear and folly in She-Wing The Guardian; 29 December 1993
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