The Unfolding Events: The Night Led By Donkeys Beamed Images of Trump and Epstein on to Windsor Castle
When plans were revealed for the former president's second state visit, complete with a royal dinner at Windsor on 17 September 2025, the protest group known as Led By Donkeys felt compelled not to let it pass without a statement. The gesture of offering a lavish welcome seemed particularly craven. Their subsequent art-activist event proceeded like clockwork.
A Deliberate Message
The group produced a short documentary exploring the connections with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. Its ending stated: “The president of the United States was a long-time close friend of the nation's most infamous child sex trafficker. His name is said to be mentioned, numerous times, in the files from the criminal probe into Epstein … And now that president, Donald Trump, is sleeping here within Windsor Castle.” (In response, Trump has stated he fell out with Epstein long prior to Epstein’s first arrest and has consistently denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein.)
The Setup
The activists had secured rooms in the adjacent Harte and Garter hotel, which boast views of the castle and, even more helpfully, “castle view superior”, according to group founder, Ben Stewart. They utilized a powerful 32,000-lumen projector. For audio, Stewart positioned a Bluetooth speaker, concealed inside a cereal box, atop a public rubbish bin outside.
The world’s media had gathered, their gaze fixed at the castle, becoming bored awaiting Trump's arrival. Their film, gained traction everywhere. “While photographs of Epstein and Trump went viral online,” Stewart says, “I’m not sure that convinces people of anything – it just makes Trump uncomfortable. The film we made provides viewers something tangible to share, implying: ‘This is something really serious to look at here.’ We took an act of activist journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was seen 20m times.”
The Moment of Projection
The film began with the recognizable Windsor Castle logo. “It requires a cylindrical building requires a little bit of mapping,” Stewart states. “So there’s the royal coat of arms. The police are thinking: ‘How pleasant – the royal family,’ and suddenly a massive image of Jeffrey Epstein appears. This electric jolt passed through the officers around me, and they all pile into the hotel.”
A History of Activism
It wasn't their inaugural action; nor was it their first action against Trump. In 2018, while working for Greenpeace, Stewart had flown a paraglider over the resort where the president was staying during a visit to Turnberry. A year later, police visited him that if he tried again, they couldn’t guarantee.
Confrontation with Police
But, the activists weren't overly concerned about detainment. “All my anxiety is channelled into wanting the protest works,” notes 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. “Wearing jumpsuits and baseball caps. They had located the culprits. They came roaring up the stairs; prepared; they were on a mission to protect the president. Fortunately, no firearms. But they were extremely tense when they entered the room. I told them: ‘We should keep this really calm.’”
Delaying multiple police officers is a long time. It helped that they were unsure under what law to charge anyone. When they finally entered the room, “a policeman started reading 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 law related to harassment. “and it’s very specific: it’s designed to deal with a serious offence. Applying it to an act of journalism, projected on to a wall, to protect the reputation of the president, seemed contrary to the intent of the legislation,” Stewart says archly. While the others were detained, he slipped away, then soon after was on a train out of Windsor, contacting legal counsel.
A Second Arrest and Questioning
Some time that night, while the activists were in the cells at Maidenhead police station, officers came in and arrested them again, now for causing a public nuisance, having decided more likely to succeed. During interrogation, the only officers available belonged to the child protection squad – an irony that was palpable, given the focus of the protest concerned alleged sex offender. Knowles and his associates just answered 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 bedside table?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Sir, do you know anybody else who may have had reason to remove the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I knew what was coming: an image of a large projector, secured to four drawers. Then, the officers struggled to maintain their composure.”
The Outcome
A little more than a month later, all charges was dismissed.
