I don't think annas-archive.org is in the right here.

They all are working on pirated ahem libeerated content. Thats fine for me but then gatekeeping someone else when they charge people for "fast" downloads, this is bound to happen. Someone will provide the same service for cheaper or free.

That said, we need more such ecosystems and competition.

They're not complaining that someone is copying 'their' service or files, they're informing their community that it looks like the people behind it are not contributing back, and how they feel about that.

In general, I find it of little help to judge what are merely opinions as "right" or "wrong". Can't we simply disagree, without one having to be right and the other be wrong? You make it sound like there was only one true way of being, and some ultimate source of truth that we all need to follow?

I personally prefer it whenever I do not have to judge things as "wrong" out of personal emotional hygiene, because anything that I see as wrong will make me sad or angry depending on whether I consider it something I can do something about or not, whereas a different opinion is merely a different opinion and leaves me in neutral.

I personally also do not agree with using the term "gatekeeping" for providing additional paid faster servers; it would only be gatekeeping for me if they were limiting certain files to paying users, which they aren't.

I’d agree with you if the someone else shared their code…

But then I doubt AA would be taking the stance they are.