They're making fun of her article about assault. They're putting it down.

You don't do that unless you intend to diminish an argument, a point, or a person.

Diminishing her article and what she wrote about justifies it. You're choosing that position over hers.

That's validation and justification.

Her article may have been off or just plain wrong. But they could have chosen to argue the point or the article rather than ridicule.

The fact that they chose to ridicule tells you they're justifying assaulting women, just like in real life when a woman is cornered and assaulted men will form a pack to get in on the action or laugh from afar, participating vicariously.