What Happened Next: The Evening Led By Donkeys Projected Pictures Featuring Trump and Epstein on to Windsor Castle
When the announcement was made for the former president's second state visit, complete with a Windsor Castle banquet on 17 September 2025, the protest group Led By Donkeys was determined to ensure it did not go without a statement. The act of rolling out the red carpet seemed especially servile. Their next creative protest proceeded with precision.
A Provocative Film
Activists created a short documentary detailing Donald Trump’s relationship with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. It concluded: “The commander-in-chief of the United States was a longstanding associate of the nation's most infamous sex offender. His name is said to be referenced, repeatedly, in the files related to the criminal probe into that individual … Now that very man, Donald Trump, is a guest within Windsor Castle.” (In response, Trump has stated he ended his friendship with Epstein years before Epstein’s initial legal troubles and repeatedly refuted any wrongdoing concerning Epstein.)
Preparations and Execution
The group had booked rooms in the adjacent Harte and Garter hotel, which boast views of the castle and, more crucially, “castle view superior”, according to a co-founder, Ben Stewart. They utilized a high-lumen 32,000-lumen projector. To broadcast sound, Stewart placed a wireless speaker, concealed inside a cereal box, on top of a public rubbish bin outside.
The world’s media had gathered, staring at the castle, becoming bored awaiting Trump's arrival. Their film, spread rapidly everywhere. “While the still pictures of Epstein and Trump went viral online,” Stewart says, “I doubt that persuades anyone of anything – it simply makes Trump uncomfortable. Our documentary gives people a social object to share, saying: ‘This is something significant to look at here.’ We took an act of activist journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was seen by millions.”
The Moment of Projection
It started with the recognizable Windsor Castle logo. “Projecting onto a cylindrical building requires some technical calibration,” Stewart states. “So there’s the royal coat of arms. The police likely thought: ‘Ah, that’s nice – the royal family,’ and suddenly a massive image of Jeffrey Epstein appears. This electric jolt goes through the police in fluorescent jackets around me, and the police all pile into the hotel.”
A History of Activism
This was not the group’s first rodeo; nor was it their first action against Trump. In 2018, during his time with Greenpeace, Stewart had flown a paraglider near the hotel where the president was staying in Scotland. A year later, police visited him that any repeat, they couldn’t guarantee.
Confrontation with Police
But, the group's creators were not especially worried about detainment. “My nervous energy goes into ensuring the protest works,” notes Oliver Knowles, another co-founder. “Once the police arrive, the message is already out.” The police response was swift, reaching the hotel within three minutes, highly agitated, Knowles recalls. “They were in jumpsuits and baseball caps. They’d finally found the culprits. They came roaring up the stairs; they were briefed; tasked to protect the president. Fortunately, no firearms. But they were extremely tense upon entering the room. I had to say: ‘Let’s keep this really calm.’”
Delaying a large number of police officers is a long time. It helped that they didn’t know 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 asked him to stop because it wasn’t right.” Knowles and three additional activists were then arrested for malicious communications, a stalking law. “and it’s very specific: it’s designed to deal with a really concerning offence. To throw it at an act of journalism, displayed on a wall, in defense of 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, then soon after boarded a train out of Windsor, contacting legal counsel.
A Second Arrest and Questioning
Later that night, while the activists were in the cells at Maidenhead police station, officers came in and arrested them again, this time for public nuisance, having decided a stronger charge. During interrogation, the sole available interrogators were from the child protection unit – a twist which was palpable, given the subject matter of the protest involved Jeffrey Epstein. The activists responded to all queries with: “I have no comment.” A few minutes into the interview, police presented a photograph: “They asked, did you remove the drawer from this nightstand?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Mr Knowles, do you know anybody else who may have had cause to take the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I knew what was coming: an image of a large projector, ratchet-strapped to several drawers. Then, the detectives struggled to maintain their composure.”
The Final Result
A little more than one month later, every charge was dismissed.
