Crossword Genius

Aggressive action taken by those insulted (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

offence

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'aggressive action' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'by those insulted' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite understand how this works, but
'by' could be 'of' and 'of' is present in the answer.
The remaining letters 'fence' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

'taken' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for offence that I've seen before include "The action of attacking an enemy" , "An illegal act, cause of annoyance" , "Misdemeanour" , "Discourtesy" , "taken by one insulted" .)

I've seen this clue in The Irish Independent and The Globe and Mail.
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