What Happened Next: The Night The Activist Group Beamed Pictures Featuring Trump and Epstein on to Windsor Castle
When the announcement was made for the former president's upcoming official trip, including a Windsor Castle banquet on September 17th, 2025, the activist collective known as Led By Donkeys was determined not to let it pass unprotested. The gesture of offering a lavish welcome seemed particularly craven. Their subsequent creative protest proceeded like clockwork.
A Provocative Film
Activists created a nine-minute film detailing Donald Trump’s relationship with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. It concluded: “The president of the United States is alleged to have been a longstanding associate of America’s most notorious child sex trafficker. He’s alleged to be referenced, repeatedly, in documents from the criminal probe into that individual … And now that president, Donald Trump, is a guest in Windsor Castle.” (For his part, Trump has stated he fell out with Epstein years before Epstein’s initial legal troubles and repeatedly refuted all allegations in relation to Epstein.)
The Setup
The activists had secured rooms in the nearby Harte and Garter hotel, which boast “castle view” and, even more helpfully, “castle view superior”, said a co-founder, Ben Stewart. Their equipment included a powerful 32,000-lumen projector. For audio, Stewart positioned a wireless speaker, hidden within a box of cereal, atop a garbage can outside.
International press had gathered, their gaze fixed at the castle, growing restless awaiting Trump's arrival. Their film, spread rapidly everywhere. “Although photographs of Epstein and Trump spread like wildfire online,” Stewart notes, “I’m not sure that convinces people of anything – it just makes Trump uncomfortable. Our documentary provides viewers something tangible to share, implying: ‘This is something really serious to look at here.’ We took an act of activist 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 a cylindrical building needs a little bit of mapping,” Stewart explains. “So there’s this royal crest. Officers are thinking: ‘How pleasant – the royal family,’ and suddenly a great big picture of Jeffrey Epstein materializes. This electric jolt 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. In 2018, while working for Greenpeace, Stewart piloted a paraglider over the resort where the then-president was staying in Scotland. The following year, officers warned him that if he tried again, his safety wasn't assured.
Confrontation with Police
However, the group's creators were not especially worried about arrest. “My nervous energy goes into wanting the protest works,” says Oliver Knowles, another co-founder. “Once the police make the intervention, the message is already out.” Officers was swift, reaching the hotel within three minutes, “really pumped up”, he remembers. “Wearing jumpsuits and baseball caps. They had located some protesters. They came roaring up the stairs; prepared; tasked to protect the president. Thankfully, no firearms. But they were very adrenalised when they entered the room. I had to say: ‘Let’s keep this calm.’”
Stalling multiple 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, before another told him to stop because it wasn’t right.” Knowles and three additional team members were then arrested for malicious communications, a law related to harassment. “The law is precise: it’s designed to deal with a serious offence. To throw it at a piece of journalism, projected on to a wall, in defense of the reputation of the president, appeared against the spirit of the legislation,” Stewart remarks pointedly. While the others were detained, he slipped away, then soon after was on a train leaving Windsor, calling lawyers.
An Ironic Interrogation
Later in the middle of the night, as the detainees sat in cells at Maidenhead police station, officers came in and re-arrested them, this time for causing a public nuisance, having decided a stronger charge. When they came to be questioned, the only officers available were from the child protection squad – a twist that was palpable, given the subject matter of the protest concerned alleged sex offender. Knowles and his associates responded to every question with: “I have no comment.” Shortly after starting the interview, police presented a photo: “‘Mr Knowles, did you take the drawer from this bedside table?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Mr Knowles, do you know anybody else who may have had reason to remove the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I anticipated the next move: an image of a giant projector, ratchet-strapped to several drawers. At that point, the detectives were finding it hard to maintain their composure.”
The Outcome
Just over a month later, all charges were dropped.
