The Aftermath: The Night The Activist Group Projected Pictures Featuring Trump and Epstein onto Windsor Castle
When plans were revealed for the former president's second state visit, complete with a Windsor Castle banquet on 17 September 2025, the activist collective Led By Donkeys felt compelled not to let it pass unprotested. The gesture of rolling out the red carpet seemed particularly craven. Their subsequent art-activist event proceeded with precision.
A Deliberate Message
The group produced a short documentary exploring Donald Trump’s relationship with notorious figure Jeffrey Epstein. It concluded: “The president of the United States is alleged to have been a longstanding associate of the nation's most infamous sex offender. His name is said to be mentioned, repeatedly, in the files related to the criminal probe into that individual … Now that very man, Donald Trump, is a guest in Windsor Castle.” (For his part, Trump has stated he fell out with Epstein years before Epstein’s initial legal troubles and has consistently denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein.)
The Setup
The group had booked rooms in the adjacent Harte and Garter hotel, which boast “castle view” and, even more helpfully, “castle view superior”, said a co-founder, Ben Stewart. Their equipment included a high-lumen 32,000-lumen projector. For audio, Stewart placed a wireless speaker, hidden within a box of cereal, atop a garbage can outside.
International press was assembled, staring at the castle, becoming bored as Trump was delayed. The film, however, gained traction everywhere. “Although the still pictures of Epstein and Trump spread like wildfire online,” Stewart says, “I’m not sure that convinces people of anything – it simply makes Trump uneasy. Our documentary gives people a social object to share, implying: ‘There’s something really serious to examine here.’ We took a piece of guerrilla journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was seen 20m times.”
The Reveal
It started with the recognizable Windsor Castle logo. “It requires a cylindrical building requires some technical calibration,” Stewart explains. “So there’s the royal coat of arms. Officers likely thought: ‘Ah, that’s nice – a royal tribute,’ and suddenly a massive image of Jeffrey Epstein appears. A wave of shock goes through the officers nearby, and they raced into the hotel.”
A History of Activism
This was not their inaugural action; it wasn’t even their first effort targeting Trump. In 2018, while working for Greenpeace, Stewart piloted a paraglider over the hotel where the president was staying during a visit to Turnberry. The following year, police visited him that if he tried again, his safety wasn't assured.
Confrontation with Police
However, the group's creators were not overly concerned about arrest. “My nervous energy goes into ensuring the protest works,” notes Oliver Knowles, another co-founder. “Once the police arrive, the message is already out.” Officers was rapid, reaching the hotel in under three minutes, highly agitated, Knowles recalls. “Wearing jumpsuits and baseball caps. They had located the culprits. They charged up the stairs; prepared; they were on a mission to safeguard the guest. Fortunately, no guns. But they were very adrenalised when they entered the room. I told them: ‘Let’s keep this really calm.’”
Stalling a large number of police officers for six minutes. It helped that they didn’t know which law to charge anyone. Upon finally entering the room, “a policeman 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 team members were then arrested for malicious communication, a law related to harassment. “The law is precise: it’s designed to deal with a serious offence. To throw it at 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, then soon after was on a train out of Windsor, calling lawyers.
An Ironic Interrogation
Some time in the middle of the night, as the detainees were in the cells at Maidenhead police station, officers came in and re-arrested them, this time for public nuisance, having decided a stronger charge. When they came to be questioned, the sole available interrogators were from the child protection squad – an irony that was palpable, given the subject matter of the protest concerned Jeffrey Epstein. The activists just answered every question with: “I have no comment.” Shortly after starting the interview, police presented a photograph: “They asked, did you remove the drawer from this bedside table?’ ‘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, secured to several drawers. Then, the officers struggled to keep a straight face.”
The Final Result
Just over a month later, every charge was dismissed.