Statues of racists need to be removed from the world.

Just got electricity back on 3 hours ago - only 42 minutes until the round is forfeit!!! I gotta hurry so I can thrash this person in this debate. Ill go as fast as I can to open up the debate in R3 and beyond First and foremost - there exist no policy that allows a nation to impose their will over another nations sovereignty. So point blank fact number 1 - America has zero authority, or right, to remove anybody's statues anywhere in the world (THAT IS NOT IN AMERICA.) So even if there are statues of people we would call "racists" we cannot remove them without it being a major peace violation (and, depending on the nation, a trade violation consequence) What is racism? bing.com search yields this definition, "prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one's own race is superior." What is a statue? bing.com search yields this definition, "a carved or cast figure of a person or animal, especially one that is life-size or larger." Now let's get a clearer understanding of why statues are even built in the first place. What is a monument? bing.com search yields this definition, "a statue, building, or other structure erected to commemorate a famous or notable person or event." What my opponent is failing to connect are the historical, cultural, and societal reasoning why statues were built in the first place - they are MONUMENTS. It is there to memorialize a person, place, or event. Looking into the US Smithsonian there exists ZERO, let me repeat that - ZERO statues that were built to memorialize any form of racism. All statues built with taxpayer money were approved through the proper channels before construction. The men that were memorialized during the Civil War are undergoing a 'revisionist history' through the removal of the Confederacy from our memories and education programs. I will go into an elaborated attack in my R3 on why the removal of civil war statues are actually an exercise of 'ironic-racism' against a group of people onto itself. So - to summarize point 2 - there are no "statues of racists" in America. None have ever been constructed - take off your "racists glasses" and view with the understanding of the core concept on WHY memorials are built in the first place. I assure you, and every archive in US's inventory will support - Racism has not been memorialized, nor are there memorials of racism that exist for our 'need for removal.' The fact that my opponent never defines any specific "racism against _____" to demonstrate only leads me to believe they are wrapped up in the news-hype and are just as ignorant as most sheeple out there. The reasons each statue was built were not that of 'racism' but rather their accomplishments for society - Look it up. You won't find 1 single monument dedicated to racism standing in America...so what statues exactly are we removing...? *Only until my opponents R2 is there some form of clarity offered of 'what statues are to be removed.' I believe my opponent is trying to reference the Civil War monuments currently being removed throughout the country. If this is the case, then in my R3 I will specify my angle towards 'Civil War Monuments' Point 3 - Removing a statue does...what exactly? Answer me this...what exactly is accomplished by removing a statue? Other than the image being removed - NOTHING AT ALL. History books will not be rewritten, nor will the memories of the events/people be altered. All that happens is an 'image-thing.' If removing the visual of something REALLY fixes anything, then we would see a completely different world - however, it is a very simple solution for the ignorant masses to give them some sense of pride for their misguided efforts. But I do see the appeal in trying to be apart of some sort of 'revolution' - we have seen other cultures topple statues to symbolize they no longer live under this dictator's rule...wait...haha, hold up, are you suggesting that the removal of "racist statues" in America is a form or "revolution?" Haha - please, feel free to elaborate ANY condition that we have been living under since the 'pre-Civil War Era' To summarize - Not only are there no racist statues that need to be removed, but the action of removing the statues is pointless and accomplishes nothing. Point 4 - It is only leading to further separation, ignorance, and hate. This point is self explanatory - and I will submit this as I only have a few minutes left. There aren't any peaceful and nonviolent solutions being offered - just destruction. Any solution which offers absolution is the wrong choice - and by this I side against the topic. I hope all this qualifies for a case as I had less than an hour to prepare/make it. I will have my rebuttal in R3 against my opponents R2 plus my reconstruction in R3 as well. Case Summary: A1 - US has zero authority to remove statues outside of the US A2 - There exist no statues built to memorialize racism in the US A3 - Removing a statue doesn't accomplish anything A4 - This entire topic is causing negativity - not positive solutions.