The Unfolding Events: The Evening The Activist Group Beamed Images of Trump and Epstein on to Windsor Castle
When the announcement was made for Donald Trump’s second state visit, including a Windsor Castle banquet on September 17th, 2025, the activist collective known as Led By Donkeys felt compelled not to let it pass unprotested. The gesture of rolling out the red carpet was viewed as particularly craven. Their next creative protest proceeded like clockwork.
A Provocative Film
The group produced a short documentary exploring the connections with notorious figure Jeffrey Epstein. Its ending stated: “The commander-in-chief of the United States is alleged to have been a long-time close friend of the nation's most infamous child sex trafficker. He’s alleged to be mentioned, repeatedly, in documents related to the criminal probe into Epstein … Now that president, Donald Trump, is sleeping here in Windsor Castle.” (In response, Trump has stated he ended his friendship with Epstein long prior to Epstein’s initial legal troubles and has consistently denied all allegations in relation to Epstein.)
Preparations and Execution
The group had secured rooms in the adjacent Harte and Garter hotel, rooms advertised with views of the castle and, more crucially, “castle view superior”, according to a co-founder, Ben Stewart. Their equipment included a powerful projector. To broadcast sound, Stewart positioned a wireless speaker, hidden within a box of cereal, atop a public rubbish bin outside.
International press had gathered, their gaze fixed at the castle, growing restless as Trump was delayed. Their film, spread rapidly everywhere. “While photographs of Epstein and Trump spread like wildfire online,” Stewart notes, “I doubt that convinces people of anything – it just makes Trump uneasy. The film we made gives people a social object to share, saying: ‘This is something really serious to examine here.’ It was a piece of guerrilla journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was viewed by millions.”
The Moment of Projection
The film began with the official Windsor Castle logo. “It requires a cylindrical building requires a little bit of mapping,” Stewart states. “First appeared this royal crest. The police likely thought: ‘Ah, that’s nice – the royal family,’ and suddenly a great big picture of Jeffrey Epstein materializes. A wave of shock passed through the officers nearby, and they all pile into the hotel.”
A History of Activism
This was not the group’s first rodeo; it wasn’t even their first action targeting Trump. In 2018, while working for Greenpeace, Stewart had flown a paraglider over the resort where the president was staying in Scotland. A year later, officers warned him that if he tried again, they couldn’t guarantee.
The Arrests
But, the activists weren't especially worried about arrest. “All my anxiety is channelled into ensuring the action to succeed,” says Oliver Knowles, another co-founder. “By the time the police arrive, the message is already out.” Officers was rapid, arriving in the lobby within three minutes, highly agitated, he remembers. “Wearing jumpsuits and baseball caps. They’d finally found the culprits. They charged up the stairs; they were briefed; tasked to safeguard the guest. Fortunately, no firearms. But they were very adrenalised upon entering the room. I told them: ‘We should keep this really calm.’”
Delaying a large number of police officers is a long time. The fact that they didn’t know under what law to charge anyone. Upon finally entering the room, “a policeman began reciting a section of the Town and Country Planning Act, which another officer told him to stop because it wasn’t right.” Knowles and three additional team members were then arrested for malicious communication, a stalking law. “The law is precise: it’s designed to deal with a really concerning offence. Applying it to a piece of journalism, displayed on a wall, to protect the reputation of the president, appeared contrary to the intent of the legislation,” Stewart says archly. While the others were detained, he slipped away, shortly thereafter was on a train out of Windsor, contacting legal counsel.
A Second Arrest and Questioning
Later that night, while the activists were in the cells at Maidenhead police station, police re-entered and arrested them again, this time for public nuisance, deeming it more likely to succeed. During interrogation, the sole available interrogators were from the child protection unit – a twist that was not lost on anyone, given the focus of the protest involved Jeffrey Epstein. The activists responded to every question with: “No comment.” Shortly after starting the interview, the officers slid over a photograph: “They asked, did you take the drawer from this nightstand?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Mr Knowles, do you know anybody else who may have had cause to take the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I knew what was coming: an image of a large projector, secured to several drawers. At that point, the detectives struggled to maintain their composure.”
The Final Result
A little more than a month later, every charge was dismissed.
