YYA> People have actually been attacked, killed, or committed suicide ר״ל thanks to “baseless opinions” (
true, and, similarly, harsh political language is sometimes blamed for attacks on specific individuals. The difference, I think, is that the person who behaves like that is not connecting general bad language with specific damage that might follow. At the same time, damaging a specific person directly is obviously something that requires a beis din decision. Compare difference between direct/indirect in nezikin, or difference between meduoraita that is explicit and not explicit in the Torah.
You can also say a general bad language is common, while direct attacks are unheard of. I am not trying to protect the former, just showing a sharp difference between them and hopefully this will not become a new normal, and also serve as a reminder how to relate to actual people.