The Aftermath: The Evening Led By Donkeys Beamed Pictures Featuring Trump and Epstein onto Windsor Castle
When plans were revealed for Donald Trump’s upcoming official trip, including a Windsor Castle banquet on September 17th, 2025, the activist collective known as Led By Donkeys was determined to ensure it did not go without a statement. The act of rolling out the red carpet was viewed as particularly craven. Their next creative protest unfolded like clockwork.
A Deliberate Message
Activists created a short documentary exploring Donald Trump’s relationship with notorious figure Jeffrey Epstein. It concluded: “The commander-in-chief of the United States was a longstanding associate of the nation's most infamous child sex trafficker. He’s alleged to be mentioned, numerous times, in the files related to the criminal probe into that individual … And now that president, Donald Trump, is a guest in Windsor Castle.” (In response, Trump has stated he ended his friendship with Epstein long prior to Epstein’s initial legal troubles and repeatedly refuted any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein.)
Preparations and Execution
The group had secured rooms in the adjacent Harte and Garter hotel, which boast “castle view” and, more crucially, “castle view superior”, according to group founder, Ben Stewart. Their equipment included a high-lumen projector. For audio, Stewart placed a Bluetooth speaker, hidden within a box of cereal, atop a garbage can outside.
International press was assembled, their gaze fixed at the castle, growing restless awaiting Trump's arrival. Their film, spread rapidly globally. “Although photographs of Epstein and Trump spread like wildfire online,” Stewart says, “I’m not sure that convinces people of anything – it just makes Trump uneasy. Our documentary gives people something tangible to share, implying: ‘This is something significant to look at here.’ We took an act of activist journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was viewed 20m times.”
The Moment of Projection
It started with the recognizable Windsor Castle logo. “Projecting onto a cylindrical building requires some technical calibration,” Stewart explains. “So there’s the royal coat of arms. The police are thinking: ‘How pleasant – a royal tribute,’ and then abruptly a massive image of Jeffrey Epstein appears. This electric jolt goes through the police in fluorescent jackets nearby, and the police all pile into the hotel.”
A History of Activism
It wasn't the group’s first rodeo; nor was it their first action against Trump. In 2018, during his time with Greenpeace, Stewart piloted a motorized paraglider near the hotel where the president was staying in Scotland. The following year, officers warned him that any repeat, they couldn’t guarantee.
The Arrests
But, the activists were not especially worried about detainment. “All my anxiety goes into ensuring the protest works,” says Oliver Knowles, another co-founder. “By the time the police make the intervention, the die is cast.” The police response was rapid, arriving in the lobby in under three minutes, highly agitated, he remembers. “They were in jumpsuits and caps. They had located some protesters. They charged up the stairs; prepared; they were on a mission to protect the president. Thankfully, no guns. But they were extremely tense upon entering the room. I told them: ‘Let’s keep this calm.’”
Stalling multiple police officers is a long time. It helped that officers were unsure which law to make arrests. Upon finally entering the room, “a policeman started reading a section of the Town and Country Planning Act, before another told him to stop as it was incorrect.” Knowles and three additional team members were then arrested for malicious communications, a stalking law. “The law is precise: it’s designed to address a really concerning offence. To throw it at an act of journalism, projected on to a wall, in defense of the reputation of the president, appeared against the spirit of the legislation,” Stewart says archly. As his colleagues were arrested, he slipped away, shortly thereafter was on a train leaving Windsor, contacting legal counsel.
An Ironic Interrogation
Later in the middle of the night, as the detainees sat in cells at Maidenhead police station, police re-entered and arrested them again, now for causing a public nuisance, having decided a stronger charge. When they came to be questioned, the sole available interrogators were from the child protection squad – a twist which was palpable, given the subject matter of the protest concerned Jeffrey Epstein. Knowles and his associates responded to all queries with: “No comment.” A few minutes into the interview, the officers slid over a photograph: “‘Mr Knowles, did you take the drawer from this bedside table?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Mr Knowles, do you know anybody else who may have had cause to take the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I anticipated what was coming: an image of a giant projector, secured to four drawers. At that point, the detectives struggled to keep a straight face.”
The Outcome
A little more than a month later, all charges was dismissed.
