A “warrior for Bermuda” was mourned yesterday in the House of Assembly.

Jan Martin, a founding member of the pressure group Move Bermuda, died this week aged 59.

David Burt, the Premier, said Ms Martin was a “Progressive Labour Party stalwart”.

Move was prominent in 2016 protests against the controversial Pathways to Status plans of the One Bermuda Alliance, as well as the airport redevelopment.

Both issues brought a range of protesters to block Parliament, with the airport protests culminating in a clash with police on December 2, 2016.

Mr Burt told MPs: “She was someone who was in equal measure filled with love and the strength and willingness to fight for the causes she believed in.”

He said she was one of the co-founders and “the heart and soul of the group Mobilise, Organise, Visualise, Execute – otherwise known as Move”.

Ms Martin also helped launch the Bermuda Triangle Fishing Cooperative.

“Her fighting spirit was never diminished,” Mr Burt said. “Bermudians have lost a true champion for their interests.”

Dennis Lister, the Speaker of the House, said she was “one who always stood up for what she believed and who will not only be missed by the community but particularly Sandys”.

Jamahl Simmons, also a PLP MP for Sandys, called her “a breath of fresh air” who risked imprisonment and economic repercussions in a world where many hid their identities online.

He added: “Bermuda has lost a gem that I hope will be replaced with ten more like her.”