The Aftermath: The Night The Activist Group Beamed Images of 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 protest group known as Led By Donkeys felt compelled to ensure it did not go without a statement. The act of offering a lavish welcome was viewed as particularly craven. Their next art-activist event unfolded with precision.
A Provocative Film
The group produced a nine-minute film exploring the connections with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. Its ending stated: “The commander-in-chief of the United States was a longstanding associate of the nation's most infamous child sex trafficker. He’s alleged to be referenced, numerous times, in the files related to the criminal probe into that individual … And now that president, Donald Trump, is sleeping here within Windsor Castle.” (In response, Trump maintains he ended his friendship with Epstein long prior to Epstein’s first arrest and has consistently denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein.)
The Setup
The group had booked rooms in the nearby Harte and Garter hotel, rooms advertised with “castle view” and, even more helpfully, “castle view superior”, according to group founder, Ben Stewart. They utilized a powerful projector. For audio, Stewart positioned a Bluetooth speaker, concealed inside a cereal box, atop a public rubbish bin outside.
The world’s media was assembled, staring at the castle, growing restless as Trump was delayed. Their film, gained traction globally. “Although the still pictures of Epstein and Trump went viral online,” Stewart says, “I’m not sure that persuades anyone of anything – it just makes Trump uncomfortable. The film we made gives people something tangible to share, saying: ‘There’s something really serious to look at here.’ It was an act of activist journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was seen 20m times.”
The Reveal
The film began with the recognizable Windsor Castle logo. “It requires the castle's round tower needs a little bit of mapping,” Stewart states. “First appeared this royal crest. Officers likely thought: ‘How pleasant – the royal family,’ and then abruptly a great big picture of Jeffrey Epstein materializes. A wave of shock goes through the police in fluorescent jackets around me, and they all pile into the hotel.”
Not Their First Protest
This was not the group’s first rodeo; it wasn’t even their first action targeting Trump. In 2018, during his time with Greenpeace, Stewart piloted a motorized paraglider near the resort where the then-president was staying in Scotland. A year later, officers warned him that any repeat, his safety wasn't assured.
The Arrests
However, the activists weren't especially worried about arrest. “My nervous energy goes into wanting the action to succeed,” notes Oliver Knowles, another co-founder. “By the time the police make the intervention, the die is cast.” The police response was swift, arriving in the lobby within three minutes, “really pumped up”, he remembers. “Wearing tactical gear and baseball caps. They’d finally found the culprits. They charged up the stairs; prepared; tasked to protect the president. Fortunately, no guns. But they were extremely tense upon entering the room. I told them: ‘We should keep this calm.’”
Stalling multiple police officers is a long time. It helped that officers didn’t know which law to make arrests. When they finally entered the room, “one officer began reciting a section of the Town and Country Planning Act, before another asked him to stop because it wasn’t right.” Knowles and three other activists were then arrested for malicious communications, a stalking law. “The law is precise: it’s designed to deal with a serious offence. To throw it at 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 remarks pointedly. As his colleagues were arrested, he melted into the crowd, then soon after boarded a train out of Windsor, contacting legal counsel.
A Second Arrest and Questioning
Later in the middle of the night, while the activists sat in cells at Maidenhead police station, officers came in and arrested them again, this time for public nuisance, deeming it a stronger charge. When they came to be questioned, the only officers available belonged to the child protection squad – a twist that was not lost on anyone, given the focus of the protest involved Jeffrey Epstein. The activists responded to every question with: “No comment.” Shortly after starting the interview, police presented a photo: “‘Mr Knowles, did you take the drawer from this nightstand?’ ‘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 giant projector, ratchet-strapped to several drawers. Then, the officers struggled to maintain their composure.”
The Outcome
A little more than a month later, all charges was dismissed.
