I’ve not heard of the examples you’re talking about in California, but you’re wrong that it is “different” here. I only used the Nazis because it is extremely unlikely local historical figures (except Mozart, Beethoven, etc) would be known to people who aren’t familiar with Austrian and specifically Viennese history.

Slavery and genocide as an instituation and practice are not unique to the US, but they are unique in that the US would not be the world power it is today were it not for our genocide of the Native Americans and slavery to dominate certain markets (e.g. cotton, tobacco). It is also not to be discounted that up until 50 years ago the US had legal apartheid against black people. The oppression of systemic racism is not something from the middle ages, it is something middle-aged Americans experience every day. Removing celebrations of those who took active part in slavery, genocide, and white supremacy doesn’t erase them from history, it just adds context to their place in our constantly expanding history.

Back to Vienna…about 12 years ago, Vienna undertook a study to analyze every street named after a person in the city (of nearly 2 million). One result was that a major street named after popular (at the time) Vienna mayor Karl Lueger (died 1910 in office) was renamed, because Lueger used a lot of antisemitic rhetoric. That is just like what is going on in the US. But the story doesn’t end there.

Lueger also had a square named after him, and a statue to him was erected on that square about 15 years after he died (1926 IIRC). When they renamed the street, there was a lot of talk to also rename the square and remove or alter the statue. After several years of discussion, it was decided to add a bilingual plaque next to his statue to add historical context and nuance. But the story STILL doesn’t end there.

There have been many demonstrations against his statue and the square remaining. In 2020 (the last time I remember) his statue was spraypainted with “schande” (means “shame” in German), and a group even protested when the city went to clean the paint off. So after 12+ years it is still an ongoing discussion about statues here.

Lueger wasn’t a Nazi, he wasn’t even a protofascist. He didn’t own and abuse slaves like Thomas Jefferson. He didn’t fight a war to maintain slavery like Robert E. Lee. Lueger’s (posthumously discovered) papers say he didn’t even believe all the antisemitism he spouted, he just used it for political expediency. But use it Lueger did, and as a result he is a controversial figure and it wouldn’t surprise me at all if eventually his statue were moved to a museum and the square renamed.

But just like in the US, no one is removing Lueger from history books. No one is saying he didn’t exist. The question is if having a statue, a square or street named after someone who spouted virulent antisemitism sends the wrong message about what kind of society the locals want to have and present to the world.

[edit] typos