Maybe those folks are tired of being attacked relentlessly by players 50-100 times their might

Maybe those folks are tired of being attacked relentlessly by players 50-100 times their might.  cheap coc gems Its a game, but there are far too many players, and alliances, who will not stop and give folks a break from the attacks to rebuild, even when asked nicely to do so. Its a war game, those players will say. Well, yes, it is. But with war it is frowned on to continue to attack AFTER the enemy has conceded.
I must say, I also find it rather entertaining that folks are upset they can not attack one of 7-8 cities a player may have. It is a great defense for small might players,  cheap clash of clans gems and I hope kabam does nothing to change it UNTIL they do something to also restrict attacking, perhaps only being able to attack others within a certain might range and those who have not logged in a certain period of time.
Also, if kabam thinks about it, it could be a money maker for them. Speed up bundles might sell well to these folks, they can stay under protection til they can build up their TR's, and we all know how long that can take.