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Martina AndersonNorthern Irish politician, MP
Date of Birth: 16.04.1962
Country:  Operator |
Content:
Early Life and Family
Martine Anderson was born in the Bogside district of Derry, Northern Ireland, into a large Irish republican family. Her father was a Protestant, and she had six sisters and three brothers, one of whom, Peter, is a Sinn Féin councilor. Since 1989, Anderson has been married to former IRA prisoner and hunger striker Paul Kavanagh, who was imprisoned at Full Sutton Prison.
IRA Activity
Anderson was an active supporter of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) from a young age, and was arrested several times for her involvement. At 18, she was arrested at a furniture store and charged with illegally possessing a firearm and conspiracy to cause an explosion. She spent two months in Armagh Women's Prison before escaping to Buncrana, County Donegal, in the Republic of Ireland.
On June 24, 1985, she was arrested in a Glasgow flat with four other IRA volunteers, including Patrick "Brighton Bomber" Magee. All five were convicted of conspiracy to cause explosions in Britain on June 11, 1986, although Magee was the only one convicted of the Brighton hotel bombing.
In 1993, Anderson became the only woman Special Category status prisoner alongside fellow republican Ela O'Dwyer. She was transferred to Maghaberry Prison in Northern Ireland in 1994, and was released on November 10, 1998, under the Good Friday Agreement.
Political Career
In 2007, Anderson was elected as a Sinn Féin Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Foyle, alongside Raymond McCartney. She was also appointed to the Northern Ireland Policing Board that same year as one of Sinn Féin's first representatives.
In December 2007, Anderson alleged that there was religious discrimination against Christian migrants in Northern Ireland, with people from traditionally Catholic countries being classified as "nationalists" and those from traditionally Protestant countries being classified as "unionists." This was later addressed by the Northern Ireland Equality Commission, which changed its practice to record nationality rather than political allegiance for all arrivals.
From June 2007, Anderson held the position of Sinn Féin's Director of Unionist Affairs. She stood as a Sinn Féin candidate in the 2010 Westminster general election but lost to Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) candidate Mark Durkan by 5,000 votes (11%).
In May 2012, Anderson was announced as a candidate to take over the European Parliament seat vacated by Bairbre de Brún for Northern Ireland, which she secured in 2014 with 159,813 votes.
Anderson's term in the European Parliament ended on January 31, 2020, following the United Kingdom's exit from the European Union. On February 1, 2020, she was co-opted by Sinn Féin to the Northern Ireland Assembly to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Raymond McCartney, and she took office on February 10.
