John Papworth

John Papworth
Personal details
Born(1921-12-12)12 December 1921
Shoreditch, England
Died4 July 2020(2020-07-04) (aged 98)
Purton, Wiltshire, England
NationalityBritish
Movement
SpouseMarcelle Fouquet (m. 1963)
Occupation
  • Anglican minister
  • writer
  • activist
Known forFounding Resurgence, controversial comment on supermarket shoplifting
NicknameThe shoplifting vicar

John Papworth (12 December 1921 – 4 July 2020) was an English clergyman, writer and activist. Throughout his life, he campaigned for the causes of antimilitarism, localism and ecologism. He founded Resurgence magazine and wrote in numerous other journals.

In 1997, his controversial views on shoplifting in supermarkets attracted international attention.