People, male and female, characterized the behaviour in a range from legally assault and sexual assault (depending on jurisdiction) to a boorish bit of attempted slapstick inappropriate for an audience that included children. To the best of my memory, nobody, male or female, actually defended He Who Must Not Be Named. People, male and female, -- who had been present -- said they didn't see the alleged offense. Etc. Etc.

I spoke up, off toward the prosecutable assault end of the spectrum, and _I_ am not the most articulate person ever.

As far as fury in the ranks goes, what part of "private" don't you understand? What reasonable expectation do you have of reading comments in a members-only SFWA group?