All you listed and more. I don't see how anyone can defend his actions.
They defend him because he offers a much simpler life. One where I’m the focus. Much more appealing than that dying to self thing.
This one's easy to answer :) They do it with a heavy hand, with iron-willed "purpose-driven" dedication to protecting The Hive at all costs, burying their detractors in reams and reams of happyfluff (and when that fails, even more reams of indignantfluff), and, of course, with the invaluable assistance of The Delphi Technique!
All you listed and more. I don't see how anyone can defend his actions.
The aforementioned "reams and reams" barage IS indeed "purpose-driven" -- the "purpose" is to box their target into a damned-if-you-do/damned-if-you-don't corner.
The targets will either (from the "purpose"-perspective) either spend the rest of their hours replying to each and every spitball fired their way -- and thus, end up with a volley abuse-button firings, as the Accolytes complain of the target being "argumentative", "bickering", "unwilling to let it go", and so forth. OR, (as the strategy might see it), the target will give up, walk away, and thus, the Accolytes will declare victory by default.
Pure Delphi...
There is another way, of course. It's rarely prudent to allow one's attackers to define one's own defense from the attacks. (And that, after all, is the "purpose-driven" technique for using "Creative Destruction" to silence their targets. Tear them (that'd be "us", natch) down, silence them, do whatever it takes to neutralize them, and then "rebuild" the discussion, according to the new order, as defined by management.