They were able to execute the SegWit2x bait and switch, and shenanigans before it, only after the forums had already been censored and they could promote UASF as a threat against the miners.

Ultimately, miners would only support a hard fork if a super majority went along with it and with the major forums being censored that was going to be impossible.

Without the censorship there would have been a super majority supporting the hard work given the sentiment on the forums at that time.