Recently in the United States there have been numerous acts of vandalism against monuments, in some cases resulting in the destruction of the monument.
Vandalizing a monument is political violence — the exertion of physical force to cause damage or injury to achieve political goals. It’s a non-peaceful way and should be avoided.
Monuments on public land belong to the people. If there is wide support for removing or destroying a monument, that will be evident in a referendum. If the referendum to remove the monument fails, and the minority feels strongly about it, there are at least three peaceful and democratic approaches to use instead of vandalism. First is to continue to educate the public about why the monument is causing grief and try to hold another referendum in the future. Second is to find a new job and a new home in another city or state that doesn’t have an offensive monument, and move there. Third is to refuse to do business or chores in the area surrounding the monument so that it is not seen.