counterviolence

noun

coun·​ter·​vi·​o·​lence ˌkau̇n-tər-ˈvī-lən(t)s 

-ˈvī-ə-

variants or counter-violence

: violence committed in retaliation for violence

Violence is not so much a question of a single act that breaks a supposed continuum of nonviolence or peace. Rather, violence is best understood as a historical cycle of violence and counterviolence.

—Simon Critchley

Word History

First Known Use

1839, in the meaning defined above