The Aftermath: The Night The Activist Group Beamed Images of Trump and Epstein onto Windsor Castle
When the announcement was made for Donald Trump’s second state visit, complete with a Windsor Castle banquet on September 17th, 2025, the activist collective Led By Donkeys felt compelled to ensure it did not go unprotested. The act of offering a lavish welcome seemed particularly craven. Their subsequent creative protest unfolded like clockwork.
A Provocative Film
The group produced a nine-minute film exploring the connections 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 child sex trafficker. He’s alleged to be referenced, repeatedly, in documents related to the criminal probe into Epstein … And now that president, Donald Trump, is sleeping here within Windsor Castle.” (For his part, Trump has stated he fell out with Epstein years before Epstein’s initial legal troubles and has consistently denied all allegations concerning Epstein.)
Preparations and Execution
The group had booked rooms in the nearby Harte and Garter hotel, which boast views of the castle and, more crucially, superior castle views, according to group founder, Ben Stewart. They utilized a powerful 32,000-lumen projector. For audio, Stewart placed 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. Their film, spread rapidly everywhere. “Although the still pictures of Epstein and Trump went viral online,” Stewart notes, “I’m not sure that persuades anyone of anything – it simply makes Trump uneasy. The film we made provides viewers a social object to share, saying: ‘This is something significant to look at here.’ We took a piece of guerrilla journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was seen 20m times.”
The Moment of Projection
It started with the official Windsor Castle logo. “Projecting onto a cylindrical building needs a little bit of mapping,” Stewart explains. “So there’s this royal crest. Officers likely thought: ‘How pleasant – a royal tribute,’ and then abruptly a great big picture of Jeffrey Epstein materializes. This electric jolt goes through the police in fluorescent jackets around me, and the police all pile into the hotel.”
A History of Activism
It wasn't the group’s first rodeo; nor was it their first action targeting Trump. Back in 2018, during his time with Greenpeace, Stewart piloted a paraglider near the hotel where the then-president was staying during a visit to Turnberry. The following year, officers warned him that any repeat, his safety wasn't assured.
Confrontation with Police
But, the group's creators weren't especially worried about arrest. “My nervous energy goes into wanting the action to succeed,” says Oliver Knowles, a fellow founder. “By the time the police arrive, the message is already out.” The police response was swift, arriving in the lobby in under three minutes, highly agitated, Knowles recalls. “They were in jumpsuits and caps. They’d finally found the culprits. They came roaring up the stairs; prepared; they were on a mission to protect the president. Fortunately, no guns. But they were extremely tense when they entered the room. I told them: ‘We should keep this really calm.’”
Delaying a large number of police officers is a long time. It helped that they were unsure under what law to charge anyone. Upon finally entering the room, “a policeman started reading a section of the Town and Country Planning Act, before another told him to stop as it was incorrect.” Knowles and three additional team members were subsequently detained for malicious communications, a law related to harassment. “and it’s very specific: 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, seemed against the spirit of the legislation,” Stewart remarks pointedly. As his colleagues were arrested, he melted into the crowd, then soon after was on a train leaving Windsor, contacting legal counsel.
A Second Arrest and Questioning
Later in the middle of the night, while the activists were in the cells at Maidenhead police station, police re-entered and re-arrested them, now for causing a public nuisance, deeming it more likely to succeed. When they came to be questioned, the sole available interrogators were from the child protection squad – a twist which was not lost on anyone, given the subject matter of the protest concerned alleged sex offender. Knowles and his associates just answered every question with: “No comment.” Shortly after starting the interview, police presented a photo: “They asked, did you take the drawer from this nightstand?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Sir, do you know anybody else who may have had reason to remove the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I anticipated the next move: a picture of a giant projector, secured to four drawers. At that point, the officers were finding it hard to maintain their composure.”
The Final Result
Just over one month later, every charge was dismissed.