Sounds like an unpleasant situation. I dont have an answer to this one.
On one hand I dont advocate attacking someones lively hood over an argument. On the other hand I understand that its not always advisable to antagonize people, online or offline.
If you were to say F off to some men they would say “same to you fella” and that would be that. Other men would react differently, I suspect if you said F off to Mike Tyson his response would be more forceful.
Would you be within your rights to sue Mike Tyson after/if you recovered? Would Mike be wrong in most peoples eyes for the resulting carnage? Would Mike be subject to criminal charges? The answer is probably yes, but that hardly minimizes the damages done.
Unfortunately, sometimes we get involved in situations we would have been better off avoiding. If it’s at all possible I would attempt to work something out where both parties retain their honor and the feud ends.
Not much help I know, but thats an oppinion. As far as policy goes, I am not sure that terminolgy applies to this instance.