In the very nature of the case, over-reaching on the part of the intoleristas is a necessity. Some of them actually believe their own over-heated rhetoric, and others are foolish enough to think that if the cause is desperate, wildly inflated accusations will somehow help them. In the short run, such tactics frequently work. But as time goes on, people start to catch on. When they do, those who have made a name for themselves by smearing others find themselves increasingly marginalized.
The citizens of Moscow are coming to realize that there are somewhere between ten and fifty people who have a lot of time on their hands, and no compunction about flooding public officials and public hearings with their complaints. They dislike the strangest entities, and are willing to say any number of outrageous things about them. What draws their ire? You name it — anything from a local vineyard (which would have been nice to have) to a small Christian liberal arts college (which is necessary to keep downtown).
But there is a “blowback” point. A time comes when the law of diminishing returns kicks in, and outrageous claims turn into defamatory claims. An observant public increasingly realizes that the claims are — to use an old-fashioned phrase — “not true,” and not only do they begin to dismiss those who make the wild charges, but also those who pal around with the people who make the charges. That is what is happening now.