This is a list of peace activists with their own Wikipedia article. It includes people who have proactively advocated diplomatic, philosophical, and non-military resolution of major territorial or ideological disputes through nonviolent means and methods. Peace activists usually work with others in the overall anti-war and peace movements to focus the world's attention on what they perceive to be the irrationality of violent conflicts, decisions, and actions. They thus initiate and facilitate wide public dialogues intended to nonviolently alter long-standing societal agreements directly relating to, and held in place by, the various violent, habitual, and historically fearful thought-processes residing at the core of these conflicts, with the intention of peacefully ending the conflicts themselves.
A
Diane Abbott – British former Labour Party and current Independent Member of Parliament (MP) and patron of anti-war group Stop the War Coalition Dekha Ibrahim Abdi (1964–2011) – Kenyan peace activist, government consultant David Adams (born 1939) – American writer and peace activist, task force chair of the United Nations International Year for the Culture of Peace, coordinator of the Culture of Peace News Network Jane Addams (1860–1935) – American, national chairman of Woman's Peace Party, co-founder and president of Women's International League for Peace and Freedom Ruth Adler (1944–1994) – feminist, and human-rights campaigner in Scotland Eqbal Ahmad (1933/34–1999) – Pakistani political scientist, activist Martti Ahtisaari (1937–2023) – former president of Finland, active in conflict resolution Robert Baker Aitken (1917–2010) – Zen Buddhist Rōshi and anti-war activist, anti-nuclear testing activist, and proponent of deep ecology Tadatoshi Akiba (born 1942) – Japanese pacifist and nuclear disarmament advocate, former mayor of Hiroshima Widad Akrawi (born 1969) – Danish-Kurdish peace advocate, organizer Stew Albert (1939–2006) – American anti-Vietnam War activist, organizer Abdulkadir Yahya Ali (1957–2005) – Somali peace activist and founder of the Center for Research and Dialogue in Somalia B. R. Ambedkar (1891–1956) – polymath, economist, jurist, social reformer, civil-rights leader, political philosopher and revivalist of Buddhism in India Günther Anders (born Günther Siegmund Stern, 1902–1992) – German philosopher and a critic of nuclear weapons and nuclear deterrence Ghassan Andoni (born 1956) – Palestinian physicist, Christian, advocate of non-violent resistance Andrea Andreen (1888–1972) – Swedish physician, pacifist, and feminist Annot (1894–1981) – German artist, anti-war and anti-nuclear activist José Argüelles (1939–2011) – American New Age writer and pacifist Émile Armand (1872–1963) – French anarchist and pacifist writer Émile Arnaud (1864–1921) – French peace campaigner, coined the word "pacifism" Klas Pontus Arnoldson (1844–1916) – Swedish pacifist, Nobel Peace Prize laureate, founder of the Swedish Peace and Arbitration Society Ya'akov Arnon (1913–1995) – Israeli economist, government official and pacifist Vittorio Arrigoni (1975–2011) – Italian reporter, anti-war activist Pat Arrowsmith (1930–2023) – British writer and peace campaigner, co-founder of CND Arik Ascherman (born 1959) – Israeli-American rabbi and advocate for human rights in Israel and Palestine Muhammad Ashafa (born 1960) – Nigerian Imam and co-founder of the Interfaith Mediation Center of the Muslim-Christian Dialogue Steve Ashley (born 1946) – British singer-songwriter and peace campaigner Margaret Ashton (1856–1937) – British suffragist, local politician, pacifist Nafez Assaily (born 1956) – Palestinian sociologist and long-term advocate of nonviolence Julian Assange (born 1971) – founder of WikiLeaks, recipient of numerous prizes and awards, and one of only six people to be recognised with the Gold medal for Peace with Justice of the Sydney Peace Foundation Anita Augspurg (1857–1943) – German lawyer, writer, feminist, pacifist Uri Avnery (1923–2018) – Israeli writer and founder of Gush Shalom Mubarak Awad (born 1943) – Palestinian–American advocate of nonviolent resistance, founder of the Palestinian Centre for the Study of Nonviolence Ali Abu Awwad (born 1972) – Palestinian peace activist and proponent of nonviolence from Beit Ummar, founder of Taghyeer (Change) Movement Ayo Ayoola-Amale (born 1970) – Nigerian conflict resolution professional, ombudsman, peace builder and poet
B
Anton Bacalbașa (1865–1899) – Romanian Marxist and pacifist Eva Bacon (1909–1994) – Australian socialist, feminist, pacifist Gertrud Baer (1890–1981) – German Jewish peace activist, and a founding member of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom Joan Baez (born 1941) – American anti-war protester, inspirational singer Matilde Bajer (1840–1934) – Danish feminist and peace activists Ella Baker (1903–1986) – African-American civil-rights activist, feminist, pacifist Emily Greene Balch (1867–1961) – American pacifist, leader of Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, and 1946 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ernesto Balducci (1922–1992) – Italian priest and peace activist Roger Nash Baldwin (1884–1981) – American pacifist, leader in Civil Liberties Bureau of American Union Against Militarism, supporting conscientious objectors to World War I; lifelong civil libertarian, co-founder of ACLU Edith Ballantyne (1922–2025) – Czech-Canadian peace activist Mary Barbour (1875–1958) – Scottish socialist, a founder of the Women's Peace Crusade, local councillor and magistrate; involved in the Red Clydeside movement Daniel Barenboim (born 1942) – pianist and conductor, joint founder – with Edward Said – of the West–Eastern Divan Orchestra, citizen of Argentina, Israel, Palestine and Spain Christine Ross Barker (1866–1940) – Canadian pacifist and suffragist Ludwig Bauer (1878–1935) – Austro-Swiss writer and pacifist Archibald Baxter (1881–1970) – New Zealand pacifist, socialist, and anti-war activist Alaide Gualberta Beccari (1842–1906) – Italian feminist, pacifist and social reformer Yolanda Becerra (born 1959) – Colombian feminist and peace activist Henriette Beenfeldt (1878–1949) – Danish peace activist Harry Belafonte (1927–2023) – American anti-war protester, performer Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo (born 1948) – East Timorese bishop, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Pope Benedict XV (1854–1922, Pope 1914–1922) – advocated peace throughout WW1; opposed aerial warfare; promoted humanitarian initiatives to protect children, prisoners of war, the wounded and missing persons Medea Benjamin (born 1952) – American writer, organizer, co-founder of the anti-militarist Code Pink Tony Benn (1925–2014) – British Member of Parliament, anti-war and anti-imperialism campaigner, one of the founders of the Stop the War Coalition Meg Beresford (born 1937) – British activist, European Nuclear Disarmament movement Daniel Berrigan (1921–2016) – American anti–Vietnam War protester, Jesuit (Catholic) priest, poet, writer, anti-nuke and war Frida Berrigan (born 1974) – American antinuclear activist Philip Berrigan (1923–2002) – American anti–Vietnam War protester, former Josephite (Catholic) priest, writer, anti-nuke and war James Bevel (1936–2008) – American civil-rights activist, anti-Vietnam War leader, organizer Vinoba Bhave (1895–1982) – Indian, Gandhian, teacher, writer, organizer William J. Bichsel ("Bix") (1928–2015) – American Jesuit priest and antinuclear activist Albert Bigelow (1906–1993) – former US Navy officer turned pacifist, skipper of the first vessel to attempt disruption of the atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons Ione Biggs (1916–2005) – American human-rights activist Lotte Binder (1888–1930) – Transylvanian pacifist feminist Doris Blackburn (1889–1970) – Australian social reformer, politician, pacifist Janet Bloomfield (1953–2007) – British peace and disarmament campaigner, chair of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament Bhikkhu Bodhi (born 1944) – American Theravada Buddhist monk and founder of Buddhist Global Relief Kees Boeke (1884–1966) – Dutch educator, missionary and pacifist Beatrice Boeke-Cadbury (1884–1976) – English social activist, educator, Quaker missionary and pacifist Maria Bolin (1847–1919) – Swedish activist for women's suffrage and peace Carl Bonnevie (1881–1972) – Norwegian jurist and peace activist Bono (born 1960) – Irish singer-songwriter, musician, venture capitalist, businessman, and philanthropist; born Paul David Hewson Charles-Auguste Bontemps (1893–1981) – French anarchist, pacifist, writer John Bosco (1815–1888) – Italian priest, educator and writer, who devoted his life to disadvantaged youth; founded the Salesians of Don Bosco and developed the nonviolent Salesian Preventive System of teaching Elise M. Boulding (1920–2010) – Norwegian-born American sociologist, specialising in academic peace research Albert Bourderon (1858–1930) – French socialist and pacifist Julia Boutros – Lebanese singer, humanitarian activist, and pacifist known as the "Lioness of Lebanon" José Bové (born 1953) – French farmer, politician, pacifist Norma Elizabeth Boyd (1888–1985) – African-American politically active educator, children's rights proponent, pacifist Heloise Brainerd (1881–1969) – American women activist, pacifist Sophonisba Breckinridge (1866–1948) – American educator, social reformer, pacifist Lenni Brenner (born 1937) – American civil-rights activist, opposed to the Vietnam War and strong opponent of Zionism Robin Briant (born 1939) – New Zealand doctor and chair of International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War Pierre Brizon (1878–1923) – French politician and pacifist Vera Brittain (1893–1970) – British writer, pacifist José Brocca (1891–1950) – Spanish activist, international delegate War Resisters' International, organiser of relief efforts during the Spanish Civil War Hugh Brock (1914–1985) – lifelong British pacifist and editor of Peace News between 1955 and 1964 Peter Brock (1920–2006) – British-born Canadian pacifist historian Fenner Brockway (1888–1988) – British politician and Labour MP; humanist, pacifist and anti-imperialist; opposed conscription and founded the No-Conscription Fellowship in 1914; first chairperson of the War Resisters' International (1926–1934); founder member of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and of the charity War on Want Emilia Broomé (1866–1925) – Swedish politician, feminist and peace activist Brigid Brophy (1929–1995) – British novelist, feminist, pacifist Olympia Brown (1835–1926) – American theologian, suffragist, pacifist Mary Brownell (1929–2017) – Liberian peace activist who mobilised women to engage in the peacebuilding process following the Liberian Civil Wars Imrana Alhaji Buba (born 1992) - Nigerian peace activist and researcher Andreas Bummel (born 1976) Proponent of Democracy Without Borders and more Elihu Burritt (1810–1879) – American diplomat, social activist Caoimhe Butterly (born 1978) – Irish peace and human-rights activist Maria C. Buțureanu (1872–1919) – Romanian educator and feminist pacifist Charles Roden Buxton (1875–1942) – British Liberal and later Labour MP, philanthropist and peace activist, critical of the Treaty of Versailles
C
Peter Ritchie Calder (1906–1982) – Scottish science journalist, socialist and peace activist Helen Caldicott (born 1938) – Australian physician, anti-nuclear activist, revived Physicians for Social Responsibility, campaigner against the dangers of radiation Hélder Câmara (1909–1999) – Brazilian archbishop, advocate of liberation theology, opponent of military dictatorship Marcelle Capy (1891–1962) – novelist, journalist, pacifist Angelo Cardona (born 1997) – Colombian peace activist, pacifist Andrew Carnegie (1835–1919) – American industrialist and founder of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace