Many of the people responding here are seasoned managers and have given multiple reasons why the course of action you took was a poor one.
If 90% of responders are interpreting your decision unfavorably, it’s much more likely the decision was a bad one, and has nothing to do with projecting victimhood.
I hope you’re fairly new to management and take this as a learning experience. Also, you might want to find better career mentors. Whether you are the owner or just a manager you aren’t helping the culture of the business.