> I recall people calling for violence against people who refused to wear masks during covid

Not comparable. There is "us vs them" based on identity attributes someone is born with, that they have no control over, like their skin color, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, and then there is "us vs them" based on someone's deliberate choice to be anti-social, belligerent, and put others at needless risk.

Neither justifies violence threats, but they are not the same thing.