A Georgia state representative has warned a black attorney that people like her “go missing” in his district for discussing the removal of Confederate statues.

Jason Spencer, a state representative for a southeastern Georgia district, issued the warning to attorney LaDawn Jones via Facebook.

“I can guarantee you won’t be met with torches but something a lot more definitive,” Mr Spencer wrote, adding that people like Ms Jones “will go missing in the Okefenokee”.

“Too many necks they are red around here,” he wrote, in screen shots captured by the Atlanta Journal Constitution. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you about ‘em.”

The exchange started when Mr Spencer posted a photo of himself visiting a Confederate monument. Confederates fought to preserve the practise of slavery in the American Civil War, and their monuments have become a point of contention in the United States. The planned removal of one such statue provoked a major white supremacist protest in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Shortly after the rally, Mr Spencer posted a picture of himself visiting the Jefferson Davis Memorial with the caption: “This is Georgia’s history. #DealWithIt.”

Ms Jones, a former state representative herself, responded by asking if state tax dollars were going toward the memorial.

“I’ll deal with it but don’t want to pay for it,” she wrote.

The conversation devolved into a social-media showdown on the future of Confederate monuments in Georgia, with Ms Jones predicting people would “tear that shit down”, and Mr Spencer warning her that “people in South Georgia are people of action, not drama”.

“Continue your quixotic journey into South Georgia and it will not be pleasant. The truth. Not a warning,” he wrote. “Those folks won’t put up with it like they do in Atlanta. It [sic] best you move on.”

Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Show all 9 1 /9 Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Protesters clash and several are injured White nationalist demonstrators clash with counter demonstrators at the entrance to Lee Park in Charlottesville, Virginia. A state of emergency is declared, August 12 2017 Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Trump supporters at the protest A white nationalist demonstrator walks into Lee Park in Charlottesville, Va., Saturday, Aug. 12, 2017. Hundreds of people chanted, threw punches, hurled water bottles and unleashed chemical sprays on each other Saturday after violence erupted at a white nationalist rally in Virginia. AP Photo Violence on the streets of Charlottesville State police stand ready in riot gear Virginia State Police cordon off an area around the site where a car ran into a group of protesters after a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia AP Photo Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Militia armed with assault rifles White nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the 'alt-right' with body armor and combat weapons evacuate comrades who were pepper sprayed after the 'Unite the Right' rally was declared a unlawful gathering by Virginia State Police. Militia members marched through the city earlier in the day, armed with assault rifles. Getty Images Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Statue of Confederate General Robert E Lee The statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee stands behind a crowd of hundreds of white nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the 'alt-right' during the 'Unite the Right' rally 12 August 2017 in Charlottesville, Virginia. They are protesting the removal of the statue from Emancipation Park in the city. Getty Images Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Racial tensions sparked the violence White nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the 'alt-right' exchange insults with counter-protesters as they attempt to guard the entrance to Lee Park during the 'Unite the Right' rally Getty Violence on the streets of Charlottesville A car plows through protesters A vehicle drives into a group of protesters demonstrating against a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. The incident resulted in multiple injuries, some life-threatening, and one death. AP Photo Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Rescue personnel help injured people after a car ran into a large group of protesters after an white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia AP Photo Violence on the streets of Charlottesville President Donald Trump speaks about the ongoing situation in Charlottesville, Virginia from his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey. He spoke about "loyalty" and "healing wounds" left by decades of racism.

Mr Spencer told the Journal Constitution that his comments were not meant as a threat, but as a warning to Ms Jones about “how people can behave about this issue”.

“She is from Atlanta – and the rest of Georgia sees this issue very differently,” he said. “Just trying to keep her safe if she decided to come down and raise hell about the memorial in the back yards of folks who will see this as an unwelcome aggression from the left.”

He also requested the paper include a photo of him standing next to a newly unveiled Martin Luther King Jr statue in the state capitol.

Ms Jones, meanwhile, said she would have taken the comments as a “serious threat” if they came from anybody else. She told the Journal Constitution that she and Mr Spencer had developed a “unique” relationship in the four years they served together in the Georgia House.