I agree, the paper itself was not about climate science. It was published by psychologists, so I wouldn't expect it to be. However, the intent did not seem to b

I agree, the paper itself was not about climate science. It was published by psychologists, so I wouldn't expect it to be. However, the intent did not seem to be about marginalizing people. It was a scientific study of the psychological phenomena that exist around conspiracy theories, including the reaction of a study about conspiracy theorists that involves further conspiracy theories. Also, I'm not sure how defamation laws would come into play. By all accounts listed, the scientific basis behind the paper was sound, so no libel or falsehoods to speak of. It seems more likely that the potential costs of defending against legal action is enough of a threat to warrant the removal of an academic paper.