User 3 in this article was banned for "spam" which as far as I am aware is not illegal. Gizmodo received a response from Gab saying "spam is not free speech."
Also, HN user encryptluks2 says he was banned "for making a post asking how are all the domestic terrorists Trump supporters doing after the capitol riot." They may be able to give you the info to verify.
Also, any form of sexual content is banned on gab which is also generally protected free speech. I'm not aware of anyone having been banned for it but I'm sure they are out there, and if not it is easy enough to test.
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.
https://gizmodo.com/even-the-freest-free-speech-site-still-b...
Also, HN user encryptluks2 says he was banned "for making a post asking how are all the domestic terrorists Trump supporters doing after the capitol riot." They may be able to give you the info to verify.
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26339259
Also, any form of sexual content is banned on gab which is also generally protected free speech. I'm not aware of anyone having been banned for it but I'm sure they are out there, and if not it is easy enough to test.