As our understanding of violence becomes at once both broader and more complex, peace scholars must revisit notions of nonviolence and interrogate some of the more pacifist norms of our field. In this chapter I propose that violent peacebuilding, the utilization of violence in pursuit of positive peace, is not only sometimes a legitimate strategic choice for peacebuilders, but that it is incumbent upon peace workers and scholars to understand it as such. This paper draws on decolonial theory as well as bottom-up traditions of peacebuilding to make an argument in support of tactical approaches to peacebuilding that are not imposed from the distant preferences of those unaffected by entrenched systems of violence. The chapter takes a theory-building approach by engaging with a number of literatures, including social movements literature, and develops a framework in which instances of violence and vandalism are potentially understood as peacebuilding tools, whilst discussing their limitations. The chapter illustrates the theory through engagement with two specific examples, one contemporary and one historic, of direct violence employed towards pro-peace ends. By examining the violent tactics of the British suffragette movement and the moment of the burning of the Minneapolis police third district precinct headquarters in the wake of George Floyd’s murder, I posit the peacebuilding value of destructive acts, as well as anticipating and responding to counterarguments. The chapter argues for a redefinition of some of the normative assumptions regarding the value of nonviolence in peace work, especially where that peace work has become professionalized.