Background
Anderson was born in the Bogside in Derry, Northern Ireland, into a large family with a tradition of Irish republicanism. Her father was a Protestant.
Anderson was born in the Bogside in Derry, Northern Ireland, into a large family with a tradition of Irish republicanism. Her father was a Protestant.
She is a former volunteer of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (Ireland Republican Army) and a convicted bomber. Between 2007 and 2012 she was an Modern Language Association representing Foyle. 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.
Anderson was again arrested on 24 June 1985 at a flat in Glasgow with four other Ireland Republican Army 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.
In 1989, Anderson married fellow prisoner and Ireland Republican Army 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.
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. In 2007 Anderson was elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly as a Sinn Féin member for Foyle, along with Raymond McCartney.
In May 2007 Anderson became one of the first Sinn Féin members to join the Northern Ireland Policing Board.
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". She occupies the post of Director of Unionist Engagement for Sinn Féin
She was selected by Sinn Féin to fight the Foyle constituency at the 2010 Westminster General Election.
She lost to the Social Democratic and Labour Party 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 Member of the European Parliament for Northern Ireland.
Anderson retained her Member of the European Parliament seat in the 2014 election, topping the poll with 159,813 first-preference votes.
Provisional Irish Republican Army. 3rd Northern Ireland Assembly. 4th Northern Ireland Assembly.