Militant

From Metapedia

The word militant has come to refer to any individual or party engaged in aggressive physical or verbal combat, usually for a cause. Journalists often use militant as a neutral term for soldiers who do not belong to an established government military organization. Typically, a militant engages in violence as part of a claimed struggle against oppression, but the word is sometimes used to describe anyone with strongly held views (e.g. militant Christian, militant atheist).

Popular usage sometimes sees "militants" as synonymous with terrorists. The term "militant state" colloquially refers to a state which holds an aggressive posture in support of an ideology or cause. In French, Spanish and Philippine English the term "militant" retains a more moderate meaning of "activist" which it formerly had in most other varieties of English. In other words, a militant person is a confrontative person, regardless of the use of physical violence or pacifistic methods.