So they became demons and proved the progressives correct. Or more realistically, they took the masks off.
I've seen this argument a few times and the utter lack of self-awareness behind it always amuses me. It's literally the logic of comic book supervillains. "They call me a racist, so I'll became the most racist racist of all time, that'll show them!"
Not a strawman. Your thesis is that progressives "went around demonising everyone and everything," that includes racism and racists. And progressive anti-racism is a common source of contention right-wingers have about progressives, so it is also clearly relevant to the context of your comment.
But feel free to substitute whatever progressive thing it is that progressives complain about that you prefer to wrap into the right-wing persecution complex, it's all the same.
How about this, in general terms: "They called me x so I became x" isn't a reaction which people who don't already possess x as a trait generally have, for some anti-progressive values of x that include but are not limited to "antisemitic," "racist," "sexist," "fascist," "homophobic" or "transphobic."
I've seen this argument a few times and the utter lack of self-awareness behind it always amuses me. It's literally the logic of comic book supervillains. "They call me a racist, so I'll became the most racist racist of all time, that'll show them!"