The Aftermath: The Evening Led By Donkeys Beamed Images of Trump and Epstein on to Windsor Castle
When the announcement was made for Donald Trump’s upcoming official trip, complete with a Windsor Castle banquet on 17 September 2025, the activist collective known as Led By Donkeys felt compelled not to let it pass without a statement. The gesture of rolling out the red carpet seemed especially servile. Their next creative protest unfolded with precision.
A Deliberate Message
Activists created a short documentary detailing Donald Trump’s relationship with notorious figure Jeffrey Epstein. Its ending stated: “The commander-in-chief of the United States was a long-time close friend of America’s most notorious sex offender. His name is said to be mentioned, numerous times, in documents from the investigation into Epstein … Now that very man, Donald Trump, is a guest within Windsor Castle.” (In response, Trump maintains he fell out with Epstein long prior to Epstein’s first arrest and has consistently denied all allegations concerning Epstein.)
Preparations and Execution
The group had secured rooms in the adjacent Harte and Garter hotel, rooms advertised with “castle view” and, more crucially, “castle view superior”, said group founder, Ben Stewart. They utilized a powerful 32,000-lumen projector. To broadcast sound, Stewart positioned a Bluetooth speaker, concealed inside a cereal box, on top of a garbage can outside.
The world’s media had gathered, staring at the castle, becoming bored awaiting Trump's arrival. The film, however, gained traction globally. “While the still pictures of Epstein and Trump went viral online,” Stewart notes, “I doubt that convinces people of anything – it simply makes Trump uncomfortable. The film we made provides viewers something tangible to share, implying: ‘This is something really serious to examine here.’ It was an act of activist journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was seen by millions.”
The Reveal
It started with the recognizable Windsor Castle logo. “It requires the castle's round tower requires a little bit of mapping,” Stewart states. “So there’s the royal coat of arms. Officers likely thought: ‘Ah, that’s nice – the royal family,’ and then abruptly a great big picture of Jeffrey Epstein appears. A wave of shock passed through the officers around me, and they raced into the hotel.”
Not Their First Protest
It wasn't the group’s first rodeo; nor was it their first effort targeting Trump. Back in 2018, during his time with Greenpeace, Stewart piloted a paraglider near the resort where the president was staying during a visit to Turnberry. The following year, police visited him that if he tried again, they couldn’t guarantee.
Confrontation with Police
However, the activists were not especially worried about detainment. “My nervous energy goes into wanting the action to succeed,” notes Oliver Knowles, another co-founder. “By the time the police arrive, the message is already out.” The police response was rapid, arriving in the lobby in under three minutes, highly agitated, Knowles recalls. “Wearing jumpsuits and baseball caps. They’d finally found some protesters. They charged up the stairs; they were briefed; tasked to protect the president. Fortunately, no guns. But they were extremely tense upon entering the room. I had to say: ‘Let’s keep this really calm.’”
Stalling a large number of police officers for six minutes. It helped that they were unsure which law to make arrests. Upon finally entering the room, “one officer started reading 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 activists were then arrested for malicious communication, a stalking law. “The law is precise: its purpose is to address a serious offence. Applying it to a piece of journalism, displayed on a wall, in defense of the reputation of the president, appeared contrary to the intent of the legislation,” Stewart says archly. While the others were detained, he slipped away, shortly thereafter was on a train leaving Windsor, contacting legal counsel.
A Second Arrest and Questioning
Later in the middle of the night, as the detainees were in the cells at Maidenhead police station, officers came in and arrested them again, now for causing a public nuisance, deeming it more likely to succeed. When they came to be questioned, the sole available interrogators belonged to the child protection squad – an irony which was not lost on anyone, given the focus of the protest concerned Jeffrey Epstein. Knowles and his associates just answered all queries with: “I have no comment.” Shortly after starting the interview, police presented a photo: “They asked, did you remove 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 what was coming: an image of a giant projector, ratchet-strapped to several drawers. At that point, the detectives were finding it hard to keep a straight face.”
The Outcome
Just over a month later, all charges were dropped.
