Martina Anderson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Martina Anderson
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| Member of the European Parliament for Northern Ireland |
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| In office 12 June 2012 – 31 January 2020 |
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| Preceded by | Bairbre de Brún |
| Succeeded by | Constituency abolished |
| Junior Minister Assisting the Deputy First Minister | |
| In office 16 May 2011 – 11 June 2012 Serving with Jonathan Bell
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| Deputy FM | Martin McGuinness |
| Preceded by | Gerry Kelly |
| Succeeded by | Jennifer McCann |
| Member of the Legislative Assembly for Foyle |
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| In office 10 February 2020 – 13 September 2021 |
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| Preceded by | Raymond McCartney |
| Succeeded by | Pádraig Delargy Ciara Ferguson |
| In office 7 March 2007 – 11 June 2012 |
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| Preceded by | Mitchel McLaughlin |
| Succeeded by | Maeve McLaughlin |
| Chair of the European Parliament Delegation for relations with Palestine | |
| In office 13 October 2014 – 29 January 2017 |
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| Preceded by | Proinsias De Rossa |
| Succeeded by | Neoklis Sylikiotis |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 16 April 1962 Derry, Northern Ireland |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Political party | Sinn Féin |
| Spouse | Paul Kavanagh |
Martina Anderson (born 16 April 1962) is an Irish former politician from Northern Ireland. She was a member of the Sinn Féin political party.
Martina served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Foyle. She held this role from 2007 to 2012 and again from 2020 to 2021. She also served as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for Northern Ireland from 2012 to 2020.
In her younger years, Martina was involved in the Irish republican movement. She spent time in prison and was later released as part of the Good Friday Agreement. After her release, she became active in politics with Sinn Féin.
From 2011 to 2012, she was a Junior Minister in the Northern Ireland Executive. She became an MEP in 2012 and was re-elected in 2014 and 2019. After leaving the European Parliament in 2020, she returned to the Northern Ireland Assembly.
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Early Life and Education
Martina Anderson was born in the Bogside area of Derry, Northern Ireland. Her family was well-known for their involvement in Irish republicanism. Her father was a Protestant.
She has six sisters and three brothers. One of her brothers, Peter, was a Sinn Féin councillor. Her niece, Elisha McCallion, was a former Irish Senator and MP. Martina attended St Cecilia's College from 1973 to 1980.
Political Journey
In 2007, Martina Anderson was elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly. She represented the Foyle area as a Sinn Féin member, alongside Raymond McCartney.
In May 2007, she became one of the first Sinn Féin members to join the Northern Ireland Policing Board. This board helps oversee policing in Northern Ireland.
In December 2007, Martina spoke about how migrant workers were being counted in monitoring forms. She wanted to make sure that these workers were correctly identified as 'other' rather than 'Catholic/nationalist'. This was important for understanding fairness in the workforce.
She ran for the Foyle seat in the 2010 UK general election but did not win.
Becoming a Member of the European Parliament
In May 2012, it was announced that Martina would become a Member of the European Parliament (MEP). She took over from Bairbre de Brún as the MEP for Northern Ireland.
Martina kept her MEP seat in the 2014 election. She received the most votes in Northern Ireland for that election.
In May 2016, she made comments about the presence of Israeli lobbyists in the European Parliament. She used the word "rash" as a metaphor to describe their widespread presence.
In the 2019 European Parliament elections, Martina was re-elected. However, her seat was later removed because of Brexit.
Return to the Northern Ireland Assembly
On 10 February 2020, Martina became an MLA for Foyle again. She was chosen by Sinn Féin to replace Raymond McCartney.
On 4 May 2021, Martina announced that she would not run in the 2022 Northern Ireland Assembly election. She resigned from the Assembly in September 2021, along with Karen Mullan. Pádraig Delargy and Ciara Ferguson replaced them.
