They may be right, but have put their readers on the defensive and provided no links or evidence to back their claims.
( https://www.reddit.com/r/HobbyDrama/comments/ifg2ea/hema_the...)
I've done a small amount of fencing and all three swords (foil, epee, saber) have been so sportified as to be absolutely meaningless. It is good exercise, but feels pretty distant from any form of actual swordfighting and there are lots of rules that don't make a lot of sense to me. HEMA seems pretty cool as a more realistic alternative.
The link I sent was to a reddit forum where folks talked about the history and controversy of the author that provides additional context.
Makes sense, but it would be cool evidence to see simulated combat to test this.
Hard to take someone with that attitude seriously.