I can't message that guy directly nor can I reply to his comment to ask for more info. That kind of speech definitely falls into legal 1A speech. It also seemed like he was baiting - which is as you pointed out, not illegal speech.
I'd also like you to consider another possibility - people on the internet lie and distort the truth. A lot. Eg. he may have gotten banned, but not for what he says here on HN. Or he may not have been banned at all but knows he'll get upvotes on HN if he bashes Gab, which was initially backed by YCombinator....until it wasn't. I'll let you figure out why they stopped supporting them.
I'd also like you to consider another possibility - people on the internet lie and distort the truth. A lot. Eg. he may have gotten banned, but not for what he says here on HN. Or he may not have been banned at all but knows he'll get upvotes on HN if he bashes Gab, which was initially backed by YCombinator....until it wasn't. I'll let you figure out why they stopped supporting them.