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Martina Anderson

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Martina Anderson
MEP
Member of the European Parliament
for Northern Ireland
Incumbent
Assumed office
12 June 2012
Preceded byBairbre 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 byGerry Kelly
Succeeded byJennifer McCann
Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly
for Foyle
In office
7 March 2007 – 11 June 2012
Preceded byMitchel McLaughlin
Succeeded byMaeve McLaughlin
Personal details
Born (1962-04-16) 16 April 1962 (age 62) [1]
Bogside, Derry, Northern Ireland
Political partySinn Féin/European United Left–Nordic Green Left
SpousePaul Kavanagh
WebsiteMartina Anderson MLA

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

Biography

Anderson was born in Derry, Northern Ireland, into a large republican family. 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. Anderson was released on bail after spending two months in Armagh Women's Prison, and fled across the border to Buncrana in County Donegal.[2]

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 bombing.[3][4]

In 1989, Anderson married fellow prisoner and IRA member Paul Kavanagh at Full Sutton Prison. 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 and has since renounced violence.[2][5][6]

Political career

In 2007 Anderson was elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly as a Sinn Féin member for Foyle, along with Raymond McCartney.[7]

In May 2007 Anderson became one of the first Sinn Féin members to join the Northern Ireland Policing Board.[8]

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’,[9] 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’."[9] Employment monitoring by the Equality Commission records solely religion, and not political affiliation.[10]

She occupies the post of Director of Unionist Engagement for Sinn Féin [2]

She was selected by Sinn Féin to fight the Foyle constituency at the 2010 Westminster General Election.[11] She lost to the SDLP incumbent, Mark Durkan by 5,000 votes. In May 2012 it was announced that she would be replacing Bairbre de Brún, as MEP for Northern Ireland. [12]

References

  1. ^ http://aims.niassembly.gov.uk/mlas/details.aspx?&aff=2336&per=207&sel=1&ind=0&prv=1
  2. ^ a b c d "Beyond the Wire". Ireland's Own. 1996. Archived from the original on 2006-12-09. Retrieved 2007-03-21. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help) Cite error: The named reference "io" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  3. ^ Taylor, Peter (2001). Brits. Bloomsbury Publishing. pp. 157–159. ISBN 0-7475-5806-X.
  4. ^ Gareth Parry (10 June 1986). "Patrick Magee convicted of IRA terrorist attack". The Guardian. Retrieved 2007-03-21. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  5. ^ Paul Hutcheon (12 March 2006). "Fury over IRA bomber's Holyrood visit". The Sunday Herald. Retrieved 2007-03-21. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  6. ^ "The beauty queen bomber goes free". Evening Standard. 10 November 1998.
  7. ^ "Northern Ireland election". BBC. 9 March 2007. Retrieved 2007-03-21. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  8. ^ "Policing Board - Martina Anderson MLA". NI Policing Board. 2007-05-31. Retrieved 2008-04-19.
  9. ^ a b Sinn Fein and DUP in job figures row - Belfast Today
  10. ^ Equality Commission Northern Ireland - Press Releases
  11. ^ Anderson ready to fight next election - Derry Today
  12. ^ BBC. "Sinn Fein reshuffle as Martina Anderson takes on MEP role". BBC News. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
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
Political offices
Preceded by Junior Minister
2011 - 2012 		Succeeded by

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