Are the Wall of Moms the real deal – or a distraction from a bigger truth?

Fall-out in Portland, writes Andrew Buncombe, underscores complexity of struggle for racial justice triggered by killing of George Floyd

Chapters of group have sprung up in several cities (Getty)

All of us in the media are sometimes prone to fall for something shiny and bright. And why not? A major part of journalism is to report on things that are new. That’s why it’s called the news.

It was appropriate and understandable, then, that when images emerged from the Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests in Portland of groups of women, most of them white, linking arms and staring down the police, they would receive lots of headlines.

“The Moms Are Here’: ‘Wall of Moms’ Groups Mobilise Nationwide”, said one. “What Does It Mean to ‘Look Like a Mom’,” asked another. A third read: “Trump’s Troops push back against the Wall of Moms.”