Who are the tories in "Rip Van Winkle” and what is the narrator's opinion of them?

In the context of "Rip Van Winkle" the Tories are those Americans who remained loyal to the British during the Revolutionary War. When Rip wakes up, he finds that his local inn (as well as having been turned into a hotel) has changed from a peaceful haven of respectful debate to a seething cauldron of invective in which fanatical revolutionaries pour scorn on anyone they consider disloyal.
Unfortunately for Rip, he falls into that category. When he unwittingly declares loyalty to King George III, he's immediately denounced as a "Tory" and a "spy." Rip is somewhat taken aback by such accusations; this is not the world he knew. And it's fair to say that Irving's somewhat sympathetic to his predicament. He presents Rip's revolutionary antagonists as hot-heads and fanatics incapable of engaging in the kind of mutually respectful debate that used to take place at the village inn back in the day.