“cowards and thugs”
No doubt circumlocutions for the usual suspects.
Searching for motives...

"Crowds and Power is a book written by Nobel laureate Elias Canetti in 1960. It is a prophetic analysis of human groups and their interaction with power1. The book explores why humans who prize individuality seek out membership in crowds and how rulers exploit that desire ..."
The crowd is no accident. It's important to make the connection for how 'rulers' exploit crowds.