Semantics? Don't be daft...
Speaking out against something is battling it, battle is a verb in this context. Both Oxford and Webster agree [0,1].
Forceful suppression of pseudoscience can be achieved through law and education, see the Scopes Trial [2]. This is another with thousands of examples, from women's right to vote, to smoking cigarettes.
[0] https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/battle