Millions Missing protests

The Millions Missing protests were first created in early 2016 by The MEAction Network with the first protests held in twelve cities around the world in May & June 2016. The protests 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. Protest also occurred online.

September 2016 protests
Larger protests in a larger number of cities around the world are planned for September 27th 2016.

May 2016 protests
The protests took place simultaneously on 25th May 2016, 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

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. Amongst the demands made by protesters were a significant increase in funding into the illness by the US National Institute of Health (NIH).

Europe

 * Photos from Sheffield, UK

Online presence

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

Featured in media reporting
Chronic Fatigue: Missing Millions (Carte Blanche DSTV)

Learn more

 * 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