The Aftermath: The Evening Led By Donkeys Beamed Images of Trump and Epstein onto Windsor Castle
When plans were revealed for the former president's second state visit, including a royal dinner at Windsor on 17 September 2025, the protest group known as Led By Donkeys felt compelled to ensure it did not go unprotested. The gesture of offering a lavish welcome was viewed as especially servile. Their next art-activist event unfolded like clockwork.
A Provocative Film
The group produced a short documentary exploring Donald Trump’s relationship with notorious figure Jeffrey Epstein. It concluded: “The president of the United States was a longstanding associate of the nation's most infamous sex offender. His name is said to be mentioned, numerous times, in documents related to the criminal probe into Epstein … And now that president, Donald Trump, is sleeping here in Windsor Castle.” (For his part, Trump maintains he ended his friendship with Epstein long prior to Epstein’s initial legal troubles and repeatedly refuted all allegations concerning Epstein.)
Preparations and Execution
The activists had booked rooms in the nearby Harte and Garter hotel, rooms advertised with “castle view” and, more crucially, superior castle views, said group founder, Ben Stewart. They utilized a high-lumen 32,000-lumen projector. For audio, Stewart positioned a Bluetooth speaker, hidden within a box of cereal, on top of a garbage can outside.
The world’s media was assembled, staring at the castle, growing restless awaiting Trump's arrival. Their film, gained traction globally. “While the still pictures of Epstein and Trump spread like wildfire online,” Stewart says, “I doubt that persuades anyone of anything – it just makes Trump uneasy. The film we made gives people a social object to share, implying: ‘There’s something really serious to look at 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 recognizable Windsor Castle logo. “It requires a cylindrical building requires some technical calibration,” Stewart explains. “So there’s this royal crest. The police likely thought: ‘Ah, that’s nice – the royal family,’ and then abruptly a great big picture of Jeffrey Epstein appears. This electric jolt goes through the police in fluorescent jackets nearby, and the police raced into the hotel.”
A History of Activism
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 over the hotel where the president was staying in Scotland. The following year, officers warned him that any repeat, his safety wasn't assured.
The Arrests
However, the group's creators weren't especially worried about detainment. “My nervous energy is channelled into ensuring the protest works,” notes Oliver Knowles, a fellow founder. “By the time the police arrive, the die is cast.” The police response was rapid, reaching the hotel in under three minutes, “really pumped up”, Knowles recalls. “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 very adrenalised when they entered the room. I told them: ‘We should keep this calm.’”
Delaying a large number of police officers for six minutes. It helped that officers were unsure under what law to charge anyone. When they finally entered 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 law related to harassment. “The law is precise: it’s designed to deal with a really concerning offence. To throw it at a piece of journalism, projected on to 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 melted into the crowd, then soon after boarded a train leaving Windsor, calling lawyers.
An Ironic Interrogation
Some time in the middle of the night, while the activists sat in cells at Maidenhead police station, officers came in and arrested them again, this time for causing a public nuisance, having decided more likely to succeed. When they came to be questioned, the sole available interrogators belonged to the child protection squad – a twist that was not lost on anyone, given the focus of the protest concerned Jeffrey Epstein. Knowles and his associates responded to every question with: “I have no comment.” A few minutes into the interview, police presented a photograph: “‘Mr Knowles, did you take the drawer from this bedside table?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Mr Knowles, do you know anyone who may have had reason to remove the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I anticipated the next move: an image of a giant projector, secured to several drawers. At that point, the officers were finding it hard to maintain their composure.”
The Outcome
A little more than one month later, every charge were dropped.