What Happened Next: The Night Led By Donkeys Beamed Pictures Featuring Trump and Epstein onto Windsor Castle
When plans were revealed for the former president's upcoming official trip, including a Windsor Castle banquet on 17 September 2025, the activist collective Led By Donkeys felt compelled to ensure it did not go without a statement. The gesture of offering a lavish welcome was viewed as particularly craven. Their next creative protest unfolded like clockwork.
A Provocative Film
Activists created a short documentary detailing Donald Trump’s relationship with notorious figure Jeffrey Epstein. Its ending stated: “The president of the United States was a long-time close friend of America’s most notorious child sex trafficker. He’s alleged to be mentioned, repeatedly, in the files related to the criminal probe into Epstein … And now that president, Donald Trump, is sleeping here within Windsor Castle.” (For his part, Trump maintains he fell out with Epstein long prior to Epstein’s initial legal troubles and has consistently denied any wrongdoing concerning Epstein.)
The Setup
The group had booked rooms in the adjacent Harte and Garter hotel, which boast views of the castle and, even more helpfully, “castle view superior”, according to a co-founder, Ben Stewart. They utilized a powerful projector. For audio, Stewart placed a Bluetooth speaker, hidden within a box of cereal, on top of a garbage can outside.
The world’s media had gathered, staring at the castle, becoming bored awaiting Trump's arrival. The film, however, gained traction everywhere. “While the still pictures of Epstein and Trump spread like wildfire online,” Stewart notes, “I’m not sure that convinces people of anything – it simply makes Trump uncomfortable. Our documentary gives people a social object to share, implying: ‘This is something significant to examine here.’ It was a piece of guerrilla journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was viewed by millions.”
The Reveal
It started with the official Windsor Castle logo. “It requires a cylindrical building requires a little bit of mapping,” Stewart states. “So there’s this royal crest. The police likely thought: ‘How pleasant – a royal tribute,’ and suddenly a great big picture of Jeffrey Epstein appears. A wave of shock goes through the police in fluorescent jackets nearby, and the police all pile into the hotel.”
Not Their First Protest
This was not their inaugural action; it wasn’t even their first effort targeting Trump. Back in 2018, during his time with Greenpeace, Stewart piloted a motorized paraglider over the hotel where the then-president was staying in Scotland. The following year, officers warned him that if he tried again, they couldn’t guarantee.
Confrontation with Police
But, the activists weren't overly concerned about arrest. “My nervous energy is channelled into ensuring the action to succeed,” says Oliver Knowles, another co-founder. “Once the police make the intervention, the die is cast.” Officers was swift, arriving in the lobby within three minutes, “really pumped up”, Knowles recalls. “They were in tactical gear and baseball caps. They had located some protesters. They came roaring up the stairs; prepared; tasked to safeguard the guest. Thankfully, no firearms. But they were very adrenalised when they entered the room. I had to say: ‘We should keep this really calm.’”
Delaying multiple police officers for six minutes. The fact that they didn’t know which law to make arrests. Upon finally entering the room, “a policeman began reciting a section of the Town and Country Planning Act, before another asked him to stop because it wasn’t right.” Knowles and three additional activists were then arrested for malicious communications, a stalking law. “and it’s very specific: it’s designed to deal with a serious offence. Applying it to an act of journalism, projected on to a wall, to protect the reputation of the president, seemed against the spirit of the legislation,” Stewart remarks pointedly. While the others were detained, he slipped away, then soon after was on a train out of Windsor, contacting legal counsel.
An Ironic Interrogation
Later in the middle of the night, while the activists were in the cells at Maidenhead police station, police re-entered and arrested them again, this time for public nuisance, having decided more likely to succeed. During interrogation, the only officers available belonged to the child protection squad – a twist which was palpable, given the focus of the protest concerned alleged sex offender. Knowles and his associates responded to all queries with: “No comment.” A few minutes into the interview, the officers slid over a photo: “‘Mr Knowles, did you take the drawer from this bedside table?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Sir, do you know anybody else who may have had reason to remove the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I knew the next move: an image of a giant projector, secured to several drawers. Then, the detectives were finding it hard to maintain their composure.”
The Outcome
Just over one month later, all charges was dismissed.
