The Unfolding Events: The Evening Led By Donkeys Beamed Pictures Featuring Trump and Epstein onto Windsor Castle
When the announcement was made for Donald Trump’s second state visit, including a Windsor Castle banquet on 17 September 2025, the activist collective known as Led By Donkeys felt compelled not to let it pass unprotested. The gesture of offering a lavish welcome was viewed as especially servile. Their subsequent art-activist event unfolded with precision.
A Deliberate Message
Activists created a nine-minute film detailing Donald Trump’s relationship with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. Its ending stated: “The president of the United States is alleged to have been a long-time close friend of the nation's most infamous sex offender. He’s alleged to be referenced, numerous times, in the files from the investigation into that individual … And now that president, Donald Trump, is a guest within Windsor Castle.” (For his part, Trump has stated he ended his friendship with Epstein years before Epstein’s initial legal troubles and repeatedly refuted any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein.)
Preparations and Execution
The activists had booked rooms in the adjacent Harte and Garter hotel, rooms advertised with “castle view” and, more crucially, superior castle views, said group founder, Ben Stewart. Their equipment included a high-lumen 32,000-lumen projector. For audio, Stewart positioned a Bluetooth speaker, concealed inside a cereal box, atop a garbage can outside.
International press had gathered, staring at the castle, becoming bored awaiting Trump's arrival. The film, however, gained traction globally. “Although photographs of Epstein and Trump spread like wildfire online,” Stewart notes, “I doubt that persuades anyone of anything – it just makes Trump uneasy. The film we made gives people something tangible to share, implying: ‘This is something really serious to look at here.’ It was a piece of guerrilla journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was seen 20m times.”
The Moment of Projection
It started with the recognizable Windsor Castle logo. “Projecting onto the castle's round tower requires some technical calibration,” Stewart states. “So there’s this royal crest. Officers likely thought: ‘Ah, that’s nice – the royal family,’ and then abruptly a massive image of Jeffrey Epstein materializes. A wave of shock passed through the police in fluorescent jackets around me, and the police all pile into the hotel.”
Not Their First Protest
It wasn't the group’s first rodeo; nor was it their first action against Trump. Back in 2018, during his time with Greenpeace, Stewart had flown a motorized paraglider near the hotel where the president was staying during a visit to Turnberry. A year later, officers warned him that any repeat, they couldn’t guarantee.
The Arrests
However, the group's creators weren't especially worried about detainment. “My nervous energy goes into wanting the action to succeed,” says Oliver Knowles, another co-founder. “Once the police make the intervention, the die is cast.” Officers was rapid, arriving in the lobby in under three minutes, highly agitated, he remembers. “Wearing jumpsuits and baseball caps. They had located the culprits. They charged up the stairs; prepared; tasked to safeguard the guest. Fortunately, no firearms. But they were very adrenalised upon entering the room. I had to say: ‘Let’s keep this really calm.’”
Stalling multiple police officers is a long time. It helped that they didn’t know under what law to charge anyone. Upon finally entering the room, “one officer started reading a clause of the Town and Country Planning Act, before another told him to stop because it wasn’t right.” Knowles and three additional activists were subsequently detained for malicious communication, a law related to harassment. “The law is precise: its purpose is to deal with a really concerning offence. Applying it to a piece of journalism, displayed on a wall, in defense of the reputation of the president, seemed against the spirit of the legislation,” Stewart remarks pointedly. As his colleagues were arrested, he slipped away, then soon after boarded a train leaving Windsor, calling lawyers.
A Second Arrest and Questioning
Later that night, while the activists were in the cells at Maidenhead police station, officers came in and re-arrested them, this time for causing a public nuisance, deeming it more likely to succeed. During interrogation, the only officers available belonged to the child protection squad – a twist which was palpable, given the subject matter of the protest involved Jeffrey Epstein. Knowles and his associates just answered all queries with: “No comment.” Shortly after starting the interview, the officers slid over a photograph: “‘Mr Knowles, did you remove the drawer from this nightstand?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Sir, do you know anybody else who may have had reason to remove the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I knew the next move: a picture of a large projector, ratchet-strapped to several drawers. Then, the detectives struggled to maintain their composure.”
The Outcome
Just over a month later, all charges was dismissed.
