What Happened Next: The Evening Led By Donkeys Projected Images of Trump and Epstein onto Windsor Castle
When plans were revealed for Donald Trump’s second state visit, complete with a Windsor Castle banquet on September 17th, 2025, the activist collective Led By Donkeys was determined not to let it pass without a statement. The gesture of offering a lavish welcome seemed particularly craven. Their subsequent art-activist event proceeded with precision.
A Provocative Film
Activists created a nine-minute film exploring 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 longstanding associate of the nation's most infamous child sex trafficker. His name is said to be mentioned, numerous times, in documents from the criminal probe into that individual … And now that very man, Donald Trump, is a guest in Windsor Castle.” (For his part, Trump maintains he ended his friendship with Epstein years before Epstein’s initial legal troubles and has consistently denied all allegations 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, “castle view superior”, according to a co-founder, Ben Stewart. Their equipment included a high-lumen 32,000-lumen projector. To broadcast sound, Stewart positioned a wireless speaker, concealed inside a cereal box, on top of a garbage can outside.
The world’s media was assembled, their gaze fixed at the castle, becoming bored as Trump was delayed. The film, however, gained traction globally. “While photographs of Epstein and Trump went viral online,” Stewart notes, “I’m not sure that convinces people of anything – it simply makes Trump uncomfortable. Our documentary provides viewers something tangible to share, saying: ‘This is something significant to look at here.’ It was a piece of guerrilla journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was viewed 20m times.”
The Moment of Projection
The film began with the recognizable Windsor Castle logo. “Projecting onto the castle's round tower requires some technical calibration,” Stewart states. “So there’s the royal coat of arms. Officers likely thought: ‘How pleasant – the royal family,’ and then abruptly a great big picture of Jeffrey Epstein appears. This electric jolt passed through the police in fluorescent jackets around me, and they raced into the hotel.”
Not Their First Protest
It wasn't their inaugural action; it wasn’t even their first action targeting Trump. In 2018, during his time with Greenpeace, Stewart had flown a motorized paraglider near the resort where the then-president was staying during a visit to Turnberry. A year later, police visited him that if he tried again, they couldn’t guarantee.
Confrontation with Police
However, the activists were not especially worried about arrest. “My nervous energy goes into wanting the action to succeed,” notes Oliver Knowles, a fellow founder. “Once the police make the intervention, the message is already out.” Officers was rapid, arriving in the lobby within three minutes, “really pumped up”, Knowles recalls. “They were in jumpsuits and caps. They had located some protesters. They came roaring up the stairs; they were briefed; they were on a mission to protect the president. Fortunately, no firearms. But they were very adrenalised upon entering the room. I had to say: ‘We should keep this really calm.’”
Delaying multiple police officers for six minutes. It helped that officers were unsure which law to make arrests. Upon finally entering the room, “one officer began reciting a clause 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 subsequently detained for malicious communication, a stalking law. “and it’s very specific: its purpose is to deal with a serious offence. To throw it at a piece of journalism, displayed on a wall, to protect the reputation of the president, appeared contrary to the intent of the legislation,” Stewart remarks pointedly. As his colleagues were arrested, he slipped away, then soon after was on a train out of Windsor, contacting legal counsel.
A Second Arrest and Questioning
Some time that night, while the activists were in the cells at Maidenhead police station, police re-entered and arrested them again, now for public nuisance, having decided a stronger charge. During interrogation, the only officers available were from the child protection unit – a twist which was not lost on anyone, given the focus of the protest concerned alleged sex offender. The activists responded to every question with: “I have no comment.” A few minutes into the interview, police presented a photograph: “‘Mr Knowles, did you remove the drawer from this nightstand?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Sir, do you know anyone who may have had cause to take the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I anticipated what was coming: an image of a large projector, ratchet-strapped to several drawers. At that point, the detectives struggled to maintain their composure.”
The Outcome
Just over one month later, all charges was dismissed.
