my weird conspiracy theory
Maybe the rival has seen the huge potentials that the group has, and after realizing that they can't bring the group and one valuable member of the group to their side, has been looking for every loophole to crush the seed before it grow further. They then managed to give a quite strong punch to the group, quite certain that it would bring them closer to the things that they want, while eliminating the potential threat at the same time. However, the group still manage to grow, not in a way like before, but no less beautiful, maybe even getting another shade of attractiveness in the eyes of the general public. So, they once again try to find ways to disturb the flow of the group's growth, including by twisting out the reality to put out an incorrect news on the group. However, the group members continue to work hard and their supporters continue to grow.