The Unfolding Events: The Evening The Activist Group Beamed Pictures Featuring Trump and Epstein onto Windsor Castle
When plans were revealed for Donald Trump’s second state visit, including a royal dinner at Windsor on September 17th, 2025, the activist collective known as Led By Donkeys felt compelled not to let it pass unprotested. The act of offering a lavish welcome seemed particularly craven. Their subsequent creative protest proceeded like clockwork.
A Provocative Film
The group produced a short documentary detailing Donald Trump’s relationship with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. Its ending stated: “The president of the United States was a longstanding associate of America’s most notorious sex offender. He’s alleged to be mentioned, repeatedly, in documents from the criminal probe into Epstein … And now that president, Donald Trump, is sleeping here in Windsor Castle.” (For his part, Trump has stated he fell out with Epstein years before Epstein’s first arrest and has consistently denied all allegations in relation to Epstein.)
The Setup
The activists had booked rooms in the nearby Harte and Garter hotel, which boast “castle view” and, even more helpfully, superior castle views, according to a co-founder, Ben Stewart. Their equipment included a powerful 32,000-lumen projector. To broadcast sound, Stewart positioned a Bluetooth speaker, concealed within a box of cereal, atop a public rubbish bin outside.
International press was assembled, staring at the castle, growing restless awaiting Trump's arrival. The film, however, spread rapidly globally. “While photographs of Epstein and Trump went viral online,” Stewart says, “I doubt that convinces people of anything – it simply makes Trump uneasy. The film we made provides viewers something tangible to share, implying: ‘This is something significant to examine here.’ It was an act of activist journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was viewed 20m times.”
The Moment of Projection
The film began with the official Windsor Castle logo. “Projecting onto the castle's round tower needs some technical calibration,” Stewart states. “First appeared the royal coat of arms. Officers likely thought: ‘Ah, that’s nice – a royal tribute,’ and suddenly a massive image of Jeffrey Epstein materializes. A wave of shock goes through the police in fluorescent jackets around me, and they raced into the hotel.”
Not Their First Protest
This was not their inaugural action; it wasn’t even their first effort targeting Trump. Back in 2018, while working for Greenpeace, Stewart had flown a motorized paraglider over the hotel where the president was staying during a visit to Turnberry. A year later, officers warned him that if he tried again, they couldn’t guarantee.
The Arrests
However, the group's creators were not overly concerned about detainment. “My nervous energy goes into ensuring the protest works,” notes Oliver Knowles, another co-founder. “By the time the police arrive, the message is already out.” Officers was rapid, arriving in the lobby in under three minutes, “really pumped up”, Knowles recalls. “They were in tactical gear and baseball caps. They had located the culprits. They came roaring up the stairs; prepared; tasked to safeguard the guest. Thankfully, no guns. But they were very adrenalised when they entered the room. I had to say: ‘We should keep this calm.’”
Stalling a large number of police officers for six minutes. The fact that they were unsure which law to charge anyone. When they finally entered the room, “one officer began reciting 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 communications, a law related to harassment. “The law is precise: it’s designed to address a really concerning offence. To throw it at a piece of journalism, displayed on a wall, to protect the reputation of the president, appeared contrary to the intent of the legislation,” Stewart says archly. As his colleagues were arrested, he slipped away, shortly thereafter boarded a train leaving Windsor, calling lawyers.
An Ironic Interrogation
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 public nuisance, having decided more likely to succeed. When they came to be questioned, the sole available interrogators were from the child protection squad – an irony that was palpable, given the focus of the protest concerned Jeffrey Epstein. Knowles and his associates responded to all queries with: “I have no comment.” Shortly after starting the interview, the officers slid over a photo: “They asked, did you remove the drawer from this nightstand?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Sir, do you know anybody else who may have had cause to take the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I anticipated what was coming: a picture of a giant projector, ratchet-strapped to four drawers. At that point, the detectives struggled to keep a straight face.”
The Final Result
Just over a month later, all charges were dropped.
