The statement plucked from his comment was contentious (not anodyne) but reasonable, so you are correct that the widely bandied about snippet was, on its own, extreme. But the full sentence is not adequate context: it was part of a lifetime of behavior, comments, statements, etc. And to be honest he has defended child rape, denying that it is rape at all.

Were there people who didn't care about the issue at hand but just wanted him to go for other reasons who opportunistically seized upon the issue to finally rid themselves of the troublesome monk? Of course, and I have some particular people in mind. But the converse is also very much true. RMS is a complex person and you cannot pull but one thread from the fabric.

> And compare the treatment he gets to other people in position of power.

That's simply whataboutism, not an argument. The rms issue is the rms issue. I would be delighted if you worked on some of the other injustices in the world as well.

RMS has suffered a crippling emotional blow but he will get back on his feet. In these regards rms is hardly unique: he grew up in a community of people very much like him, many of whom routinely make far more shocking statements than he ever did. Leaving that environment for Harvard, and later MIT demonstrated and developed in him an ability to learn, which few apparently can see (and which even fewer possess themselves).