If these statues and monuments have become symbols of white supremacy and the rallying cry for the kluckers ,instead of the history of a country, they should be removed and put in a museum.
We would find it odious to see statues of Hitler in Germany, so I guess the principle of leaving these statues in places of honor is pretty questionable. 
But you cannot change peoples hearts and minds by removing pieces of concrete/clay/metal. Racism will continue regardless, esp. in the southern USA.
These thugs, ignorant and typically of low intelligence (though not all) think it is part of their heritage. Intolerance might be more prevalent in the southern USA but it exists everywhere. In Canada it never surprises me what comes out of the mouths of people from eastern European countries. But it is sad.