This would be my default assumption to be honest. Any controversial discussion on Reddit tends to take over your mod queue with arguments and reports and then claims of mods overreaching, personal attacks etc etc.

Add to that the number of self important users who feel the need to make their own post rather then join a discussion and subs can be taken over by a topic super fast and become way more work then you signed up for.

People are way too quick to assume conspiracies when unpaid-mods-don't-want-to-deal-with-the-hassel-or-potential-real-life-consequences is a very likely much more obvious scenario.