Let's review some of these bans, as called out by ChomskyWasRight@slrpunk.net:

https://lemm.ee/post/40926293/14446156

https://imgur.com/YSoJbgs

From the top:

LagrangePoint@lemmy.world https://imgur.com/4XsXuOC

Quote: "LW admin/mod team seem to have this overbearing and weird belief that they need to tell everyone else what to think and how to think it. How about... you all just fuck off and don't?

Result: Permaban

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aniki@lemmings.world https://imgur.com/LIye27F

Quote: "All rights are won through violence, child. Bans on here means less than the nothing platitudes you utter"

Result: 15 day ban

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catloaf@lemm.ee https://imgur.com/ONGdgNo

Quote: [the quote is really long, pls dont make me type it and just look at the link lol]

Result: 15 day ban

Note: the comment precedes the ban by 26 days, but catloaf's recent comment history contains opinions critical of the LW News mod team

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DoctorButts@kbin.melroy.org https://imgur.com/q2kktNQ

Quote: "Damn what a shame, guy almost stopped being a moderator on an internet forum, would have been a grave tragedy"

Result: Permaban

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stormesp@lemm.ee https://imgur.com/ZCRtuJe

Stormesp's profile at lemm.ee: https://lemm.ee/u/stormesp

Quote: [there were no comments removed in the modlog, but stormesp's recent comment history contains opinions critical of the LW News mod team, read them yourself]

Result: 15 day ban

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MindTraveller@lemmy.ca https://imgur.com/YwIMSOq

Quotes: [multiple quotes, there are a lot, check out the link]

Result: 15 day ban

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Summary

Most interestingly here is that the two users who got permabanned didn't use slurs and didn't call for violence, they merely insulted the moderator team. I guess in the LW News mod team's eyes, that's a horrible, terrible, awful, unforgivable offense, so.......... PERMABAN.

Aniki literally is saying "words are useless, let's resort to violence" but that's a 15 day ban only, OK, makes sense, right????????

Catloaf and Stormesp were actively leaving comments sparring with the moderator team in that thread. To be honest, none of what I'm seeing in these comment seems worthy of a ban. Unless of course, you're a LW mod and you go "this guy is disagreeing with me, therefore they deserve a ban."

Edit: I forgot to write about MindTraveller since that guy was a last minute addition. But look at those aggressive comments, guy deserves a ban for sure.

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Conclusion

Not a good look. Does LW want to grow into a good Reddit alternative or do they just want to turn it into Reddit for themselves only?

LW can at least come clean about this and say "yes, the rest of you can get fucked" or maybe they will have a moment of realization at some point "oh my god, are we the baddies?"