Millions Missing protests

The Millions Missing protests are a campaign for health equality for myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), which is sometimes referred to as ME/CFS. The first MillionsMissing protests were started early 2016 by The MEAction Network, and further protests have being held at least yearly since.

The protests originally took the form of an on-site physical protest where protestors placed empty pairs of shoes outside prominent government buildings, representing the millions of patients around the world, though some locations branched out from this format. Protest also occurred online so that homebound and bedridden patients could also participate.

May 2020 protests
The Coronavirus disease 19 pandemic lead to protests and campaigning online or at a distance instead of meeting in groups.


 * I got a virus, but I didn't die - Millions Missing campaign video about Graded exercise therapy

May 2019 protests

 * Photos

May 2018 protests
The Millions Missing protests were renewed for a third year running in May 2018, to coincide with ME Awareness Week. On this occasion, the number of protests were much larger, with actions in over 100 cities scheduled beforehand and over 300 visibility actions recorded worldwide. Press coverage of the protests has become increasingly extensive, possibly in part due to the critical success of the Unrest documentary. Among the demands made by protesters was a significant increase in funding into the illness by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH).

United States

 * Photos from Denver
 * Photos from Minneapolis
 * Photos from Orlando
 * Photos from Tucson
 * Photos from Atlanta
 * Photos from New York
 * Photos from Boston
 * Photos from Los Angeles
 * Photos from San Francisco
 * Photos from Burlington
 * Photos from Rochester
 * Photos from Washington, DC
 * Photos from Seattle
 * Photos from Morristown
 * Photos from Rock Spring
 * Photos from Chicago
 * Photos from Detroit
 * Photos from Eau Claire
 * Photos from Santa Barbara

South America

 * Photos from Mexico City, Mexico

Canada

 * Photos from Ottawa, Canada
 * Photos from Toronto, Canada

United Kingdom

 * Photos from Sheffield, UK - page 1, page 2
 * Photos from Edinburgh, UK
 * Photos from Hull, UK
 * Photos from London, UK
 * Photos from St Helens, UK
 * Photos from Liverpool, UK
 * Photos from Bristol, UK
 * Photos from Southampton, UK
 * Photos from Newry, UK
 * Photos from Manchester, UK

Europe

 * Photos from Bielefeld, Germany
 * Photos from Göteburg, Sweden
 * Photos from Akureyri, Iceland
 * Photos from Stockholm, Sweden
 * Photos from Berlin, Germany
 * Photos from Bilbao, Spain
 * Photos from Prague, Czech Republic
 * Photos from Châteaubourg, France
 * Photos from Odense, Denmark
 * Photos from Copenhagen, Denmark
 * Photos from Helsinki, Finland
 * Photos from Tønsberg, Norway
 * Photos from Stavanger, Norway
 * Photos from Geneva, Switzerland
 * Photos from Moi i Rana, Norway

Asia

 * Photos from Tokyo, Japan

Africa

 * Photos from Accra, Ghana

Australia/New Zealand

 * Photos from Melbourne, Australia
 * Photos from Sydney, Australia
 * Photos from Hamilton, New Zealand
 * Photos from Wellington, New Zealand
 * Photos from Aukland, New Zealand
 * Photos from Christchurch, New Zealand

Other

 * Photographs from virtual visibility actions

May 2017 Protests
The May 2017 Millions Missing protests were again arranged to coincide with ME Awareness Week. Protestors took to the streets in 18 cities in seven countries to demand change. The protestors asked for increased government funding for research, clinical trials, medical education and public awareness.

United Kingdom

 * Photos from Dublin, Ireland
 * Photos from Isle of Man, UK
 * Photos from Edinburgh, UK
 * Photos from Birmingham, UK

Europe

 * Photos from Copenhagen, Denmark
 * Photos from Zwolle, Netherlands
 * Photos from Fredrikstad, Norway
 * Photos from Oslo, Norway
 * Photos from Sandefjord, Norway
 * Photos from Reykjavik, Iceland

Australia

 * Photos from Sydney, Australia
 * Photos from Brisbane, Australia

September 2016 protests
On September 27th 2016, protests occurred in 24 cities around the world.

United States

 * Photos from San Francisco, CA
 * Photos from Washington, DC
 * Photos from Lansing, MI
 * Photos from Seattle, WA
 * Photos from Atlanta, GA
 * Photos from New York, NY
 * Photos from Mirristown, NJ
 * Photos from Chicago, IL
 * Photos from Dallas, TX
 * Photos from Boston, MA
 * Photos from Northampton, MA
 * Photos from Pittsburg, PA

Canada

 * Photos from Toronto, Canada

United Kingdom

 * Photos from London, UK
 * Photos from Belfast, UK
 * Photos from Bristol, UK
 * Photos from Cardiff, UK
 * Photos from Nottingham, UK
 * Photos from Oxford, UK

Europe

 * Photos from Oslo, Norway
 * Photos from Hamburg, Germany
 * Photos from The Hague, Netherlands

Australia

 * Photos from Melbourne, Australia
 * Photos from Perth, Australia

May 2016 protests
The protests took place simultaneously on 25th May 2016 in 12 locations all over the world, with the Belfast (Northern Ireland) protest taking place on 16th June.

The protestors made specific demands including increased research funding and clinical trials.

United States

 * Photos from Washington D.C.
 * Photos from Atlanta, Georgia
 * Photos from Boston, Massachusetts
 * Photos from Dallas, Texas
 * Photos from San Francisco, California
 * Photos from Seattle, Washington

Canada

 * Photos from Ottawa

Europe

 * Photos from London, UK
 * Photos from Bergen, Norway
 * Photos from Netherlands

Australia

 * Photos from Melbourne

Other

 * Photos from online virtual protest

Online presence

 * Website
 * Facebook
 * Twitter (and the hashtag #millionsmissing)
 * Instagram

Learn more

 * Press coverage of Millions Missing events
 * 2016, Activists Meet With US Assistant Secretary of Health DeSalvo
 * 2016, #MillionsMissing: Sea of empty shoes left outside Department of Health in global ME protest
 * 2016, Millions Missing in the news
 * 2016, Northern Ireland: Chasing competent care and #millionsmissing protest
 * 2016, Canada: Open letter to government from family of #millionsmissing
 * 2016, Millions Missing meets with government officials
 * 2016, MillionsMissing holds largest ever protest for ME/CFS
 * 2016, Speeches from the front lines of #millionsmissing: Terri Wilder
 * 2016, Speeches from the front lines of #millionsmissing: Sonya Heller Irey
 * 2016, Speeches from the front lines of #millionsmissing: Carol Head
 * 2016, Speeches from the front lines of #millionsmissing: LA Cooper
 * 2016, Speeches from the front lines of #millionsmissing: Ryan Prior
 * 2016, Speeches from the front lines of #millionsmissing: Jennifer Brea
 * 2016, Speeches from the front lines of #millionsmissing: Ronald Davis, Stanford University
 * 2016, Leonard Jason's comments at Sept. 27th, 2016 #millionsmissing protest in Chicago
 * 2016, US Millions Missing protestors to meet with DeSalvo at HHS
 * 2016, THE #MILLIONSMISSING WITH ME/CFS ARE GETTING ORGANISED!
 * 2016, US press release
 * 2016, UK press release
 * 2016, Updates from the first Millions Missing meeting