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 upcoming official trip, complete with a royal dinner at Windsor on September 17th, 2025, the activist collective Led By Donkeys was determined to ensure it did not go unprotested. The gesture of rolling out the red carpet seemed especially servile. Their subsequent art-activist event unfolded with precision.
A Provocative Film
The group produced a short documentary exploring Donald Trump’s relationship with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. Its ending stated: “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 the files from the investigation into Epstein … And now that president, Donald Trump, is a guest within Windsor Castle.” (In response, Trump maintains he ended his friendship with Epstein long prior to Epstein’s initial legal troubles and has consistently denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein.)
The Setup
The activists had secured rooms in the nearby Harte and Garter hotel, which boast views of the castle and, even more helpfully, “castle view superior”, said group founder, Ben Stewart. They utilized a high-lumen 32,000-lumen projector. For audio, Stewart positioned a wireless speaker, concealed inside a cereal box, atop a garbage can outside.
The world’s media had gathered, their gaze fixed at the castle, growing restless awaiting Trump's arrival. Their film, spread rapidly globally. “While photographs of Epstein and Trump spread like wildfire online,” Stewart notes, “I’m not sure that persuades anyone of anything – it simply makes Trump uncomfortable. Our documentary provides viewers something tangible to share, saying: ‘There’s something really serious to examine here.’ It was an act of activist journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was seen 20m times.”
The Moment of Projection
It started with the recognizable Windsor Castle logo. “It requires a cylindrical building requires a little bit of mapping,” Stewart explains. “So there’s the royal coat of arms. Officers likely thought: ‘Ah, that’s nice – a royal tribute,’ and suddenly a massive image of Jeffrey Epstein appears. This electric jolt goes through the police in fluorescent jackets nearby, and they all pile into the hotel.”
Not Their First Protest
It wasn't their inaugural action; nor was it their first effort targeting Trump. In 2018, during his time with Greenpeace, Stewart had flown a motorized paraglider over the resort where the president was staying in Scotland. The following year, officers warned him that any repeat, they couldn’t guarantee.
The Arrests
However, the activists weren't especially worried about detainment. “All my anxiety is channelled into wanting the protest works,” says Oliver Knowles, another co-founder. “By the time the police make the intervention, the die is cast.” The police response was swift, arriving in the lobby in under three minutes, “really pumped up”, Knowles recalls. “They were in jumpsuits and baseball caps. They’d finally found the culprits. They came roaring up the stairs; prepared; tasked to protect the president. Thankfully, no firearms. But they were extremely tense when they entered the room. I had to say: ‘Let’s keep this calm.’”
Stalling a large number of police officers for six minutes. It helped that they didn’t know which law to charge anyone. When they finally entered 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 team members were then arrested for malicious communication, a law related to harassment. “The law is precise: it’s designed to address a serious offence. To throw it at an act of journalism, projected on to a wall, to protect the reputation of the president, seemed contrary to the intent of the legislation,” Stewart remarks pointedly. While the others were detained, he melted into the crowd, shortly thereafter boarded a train out of Windsor, calling lawyers.
An Ironic Interrogation
Some time that night, while the activists were in the cells at Maidenhead police station, officers came in and arrested them again, now for causing a public nuisance, deeming it a stronger charge. When they came to be questioned, the sole available interrogators belonged to the child protection unit – an irony that was palpable, given the subject matter 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 nightstand?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Sir, do you know anyone who may have had reason to remove the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I knew the next move: a picture of a giant projector, ratchet-strapped to four drawers. Then, the detectives were finding it hard to maintain their composure.”
The Final Result
A little more than one month later, every charge was dismissed.
