I could be the nicest moderator in the world and they would still dislike me for daring to punish them for breaking rules. Frankly, I don't care what they think. You do you and I'll do me.
But you are not, and since you aren't, it's not hard to understand why they detest you, your moderating method, and your mannerism. They don't care what you think, either. But when you use your power to create a "rules for you, none for me" situation, of course they'll speak out. It wasn't really a smart idea to bait them to begin with and have this bickering back and forth. Perhaps it wasn't intentional, or maybe it was, I can't say for sure. At the end of the day, it's just internet glory. What is it worth?
For what it's worth, it doesn't seem like anyone got banned this time, or he'd be bragging about it.