The Aftermath: The Night Led By Donkeys Beamed Pictures Featuring Trump and Epstein on to Windsor Castle
When the announcement was made for Donald Trump’s upcoming official trip, complete with a royal dinner at Windsor on 17 September 2025, the activist collective known as Led By Donkeys felt compelled to ensure it did not go without a statement. The gesture of offering a lavish welcome seemed especially servile. Their next creative protest proceeded like clockwork.
A Provocative Film
Activists created a nine-minute film detailing Donald Trump’s relationship with notorious figure Jeffrey Epstein. It concluded: “The president of the United States was a long-time close friend of America’s most notorious sex offender. He’s alleged to be referenced, repeatedly, in documents from the investigation into that individual … And now that very man, Donald Trump, is a guest in Windsor Castle.” (In response, Trump maintains he fell out with Epstein years before Epstein’s first arrest and has consistently denied all allegations in relation to Epstein.)
The Setup
The group had secured rooms in the nearby Harte and Garter hotel, which boast views of the castle and, more crucially, “castle view superior”, according to group founder, Ben Stewart. Their equipment included a powerful projector. To broadcast sound, Stewart positioned a wireless speaker, concealed inside a cereal box, atop a garbage can outside.
International press had gathered, their gaze fixed at the castle, growing restless awaiting Trump's arrival. The film, however, gained traction globally. “Although the still pictures of Epstein and Trump spread like wildfire online,” Stewart notes, “I doubt that convinces people of anything – it simply makes Trump uncomfortable. The film we made provides viewers a social object to share, saying: ‘This is something really serious to examine here.’ It was a piece of guerrilla journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was viewed 20m times.”
The Reveal
The film began with the official Windsor Castle logo. “Projecting onto a cylindrical building needs some technical calibration,” Stewart states. “First appeared this royal crest. Officers are thinking: ‘How pleasant – the royal family,’ and then abruptly a great big picture of Jeffrey Epstein appears. This electric jolt passed through the officers nearby, and they raced into the hotel.”
Not Their First Protest
It wasn't their inaugural action; nor was it their first effort targeting Trump. In 2018, while working for Greenpeace, Stewart had flown a motorized paraglider near the resort where the then-president was staying during a visit to Turnberry. A year later, police visited him that any repeat, they couldn’t guarantee.
Confrontation with Police
But, the activists weren't overly concerned about arrest. “All my anxiety goes into ensuring the protest works,” says Oliver Knowles, a fellow founder. “Once the police make the intervention, the message is already out.” Officers was rapid, arriving in the lobby within three minutes, “really pumped up”, he remembers. “They were in jumpsuits and caps. They had located the culprits. They charged up the stairs; prepared; they were on a mission to protect the president. Thankfully, no guns. But they were extremely tense upon entering the room. I told them: ‘We should keep this really calm.’”
Delaying multiple police officers is a long time. The fact that officers were unsure which law to charge anyone. Upon finally entering the room, “one officer 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 then arrested for malicious communications, a law related to harassment. “and it’s very specific: it’s designed to address a serious offence. Applying it to 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 says archly. While the others were detained, he melted into the crowd, shortly thereafter was on a train leaving 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 causing a public nuisance, deeming it a stronger charge. During interrogation, the only officers available belonged to the child protection unit – an irony that was not lost on anyone, given the subject matter of the protest involved alleged sex offender. Knowles and his associates responded to all queries with: “No comment.” A few minutes into the interview, the officers slid over a photo: “They asked, did you remove the drawer from this bedside table?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Sir, do you know anybody else who may have had cause to take the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I anticipated the next move: an image of a large projector, ratchet-strapped to four drawers. At that point, the detectives were finding it hard to maintain their composure.”
The Outcome
Just over one month later, all charges were dropped.
