Personally I think one of the worst ideas ever is trying to stop discussion through some force. It will just move the conversation elsewhere and perhaps morph it into something even more negative, as people react poorly to being closed out in general. For example, I don't think it was smart for Jolla to close the SIM card holder thread many times. They did re-open it due to pressure, but still it happened (and eventually it was of course closed completely). It may seem like a nice idea to some to shut down unwanted talk, but in the long run it is a bad idea.

Your case probably a prime example.

If someone wants to stop discussion, do it with great, opposition silencing arguments. Those are great.