Karen Mullan, Elisha McCallion and Martina Anderson
In a lengthy post on social media, her family said Ms Anderson had been “publicly humiliated” by the move and that she and fellow MLA Karen Mullan — who was also ordered to stand down — were being unfairly “sacrificed” by her party.
And the family say that if Martin McGuinness was still alive “he would never have allowed this disgraceful tactic to be deployed”.
Last week, the two MLAs confirmed they would not contest next year’s Assembly election after a review of Sinn Fein’s structure in Derry.
Several leading members of the Sinn Fein’s Derry Comhairle Ceantar, including Ms Anderson’s brother Mickey and Karen Mullan’s partner, have also been asked to step down as part of the review process.
However, Ms Anderson’s family have criticised how the veteran Sinn Fein politician and former IRA bomber has been treated by the party.
In a stinging message on her Facebook page on behalf of her family, Ms Anderson’s sister, Sharon Burke, said Ms Anderson had been treated in a “brutal way” and “publicly humiliated” by a party “she loves and helped to build”.
“Martina asked all of us to stay away from social media and not to comment on the events that have crushed her,” wrote Mrs Burke in the post which was tagged to 36 people.
“As a family we have done as she has asked and we have maintained our silence and our dignity.
“I do not believe that speaking out like I am here on behalf of our wider family is undermining our republican integrity.
“We have been and remain a very proud, staunch republican family, despite feeling very hurt.
“We are proud of all that has been achieved to take us closer to our goal of Irish reunification.
“We come from a city that has stood up against injustice and a place that has tried hard to right the wrongs that were done to it and its people.
“As a family, despite our sister not wanting us to go public, we as sisters decided to call out this wrong that is being done to our Martina.
“We do not want to cause further stress to our sister and we are sorry but we cannot keep quiet any longer and we have to be allowed to speak our minds.”
Mrs Burke’s message said they believed Ms Anderson and Ms Mullan are being “sacrificed” by Sinn Fein and “castigated in an attempt to win back support”.
“Those who thought up that strategy could well see it backfire as the people of Derry do not like to see injustices being inflicted on anyone and as a family we do not believe that using a life long Republican as a sacrificial lamb will win back the hearts and minds of republicans in Derry.
“We Anderson’s believe if Martin Mc Guinness had been alive he would never have allowed this disgraceful tactic to be deployed.
“Martina had the privilege of being his junior minister. He knew her well and valued her worth.
“As Sinn Féin MLAs Karen Mullan and our Martina, two Republican women have worked their hearts out to build up the support that SF lost over the last two elections.
“A loss of SF support that happened when our Martina was knocking her pan out in Europe to stop partition being reinforced by Brexit.”
Her family’s message described Ms Anderson as a “workhorse” for the “republican struggle”.
“Indeed, our Martina gave everything to the Irish Republican struggle, including her biological clock.
“She is married to an ex prisoner who served over 18 years in prison, mainly in English jails. Both of them are not allowed to foster or adopt children.
“Our Martina gave all of that with a heart and a half, wearing with pride who she is and what she represents.
“This SF National leadership Review that was done in Derry resulted in a massive miscarriage of justice: they came into Derry to fix problems and left creating more.
Martina Anderson and Karen Mullan asked by party to step aside as MLAs
“The Anderson Family is calling on our wider republican family in Derry and indeed beyond to reject the way this SF leadership has publicly humiliating our sister Martina and Karen.
“The British could not do to our Martina what her comrades and friends have done.
“We the Anderson family are crying out for help; we are asking people not to use our appeal as an opportunity to bash SF but to help us correct what we believe is a massive miscarriage of justice.
“We are SF members and as republicans we must demonstrate that we live by our values of equality, respect and integrity – qualities that it pains us to say have been lacking in the treatment of our sister Martina and Karen Mullan.”
A Sinn Féin spokesperson said: “Sinn Féin carried out a party review in the Foyle constituency.
“An electoral strategy group is now overseeing preparations for the Assembly elections.
“Karen Mullan and Martina Anderson have indicated that they will not be running again for re-election.”
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