What Happened Next: The Evening Led By Donkeys Projected Images of Trump and Epstein onto Windsor Castle
When plans were revealed for Donald Trump’s second state visit, complete with a Windsor Castle banquet 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 rolling out the red carpet seemed particularly craven. Their next art-activist event proceeded with precision.
A Provocative Film
The group produced a nine-minute film exploring the connections 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 referenced, numerous times, in documents from the investigation into Epstein … And now that president, Donald Trump, is sleeping here within Windsor Castle.” (For his part, Trump maintains he fell out with Epstein years before Epstein’s first arrest and has consistently denied all allegations concerning Epstein.)
Preparations and Execution
The activists had booked rooms in the adjacent Harte and Garter hotel, which boast views of the castle and, more crucially, superior castle views, according to group founder, Ben Stewart. Their equipment included a powerful 32,000-lumen projector. To broadcast sound, Stewart placed a wireless speaker, concealed inside a cereal box, on top of a public rubbish bin outside.
The world’s media was assembled, staring at the castle, becoming bored awaiting Trump's arrival. The film, however, spread rapidly everywhere. “Although the still pictures of Epstein and Trump spread like wildfire online,” Stewart says, “I’m not sure that persuades anyone of anything – it simply makes Trump uneasy. Our documentary provides viewers a social object to share, saying: ‘There’s something significant to examine here.’ It was a piece of guerrilla journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was viewed by millions.”
The Reveal
It started with the recognizable Windsor Castle logo. “It requires a cylindrical building needs some technical calibration,” Stewart explains. “So there’s this royal crest. Officers likely thought: ‘Ah, that’s nice – the royal family,’ and suddenly a massive image of Jeffrey Epstein appears. This electric jolt goes through the police in fluorescent jackets nearby, and the police raced into the hotel.”
Not Their First Protest
This was not their inaugural action; nor was it their first effort targeting Trump. In 2018, while working for Greenpeace, Stewart piloted a paraglider near the resort where the then-president was staying during a visit to Turnberry. A year later, officers warned him that any repeat, they couldn’t guarantee.
The Arrests
But, the activists weren't especially worried about detainment. “My nervous energy goes into ensuring the protest works,” says Oliver Knowles, a fellow founder. “Once the police make the intervention, the die is cast.” The police response was rapid, reaching the hotel in under three minutes, highly agitated, Knowles recalls. “They were in jumpsuits and baseball caps. They’d finally found some protesters. They charged up the stairs; prepared; tasked to protect the president. Fortunately, no firearms. But they were very adrenalised when they entered the room. I told them: ‘We should keep this really calm.’”
Stalling a large number of police officers is a long time. The fact that they were unsure which law to make arrests. 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 other activists were subsequently detained for malicious communication, a stalking law. “The law is precise: its purpose is to address a serious offence. To throw it at a piece of journalism, displayed on 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 slipped away, then soon after was on a train leaving Windsor, contacting legal counsel.
An Ironic Interrogation
Some time that 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 more likely to succeed. When they came to be questioned, the only officers available were from the child protection squad – a twist which 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: “I have no comment.” Shortly after starting the interview, the officers slid over a photograph: “‘Mr Knowles, did you take the drawer from this bedside table?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Sir, do you know anyone who may have had cause to take the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I anticipated the next move: a picture of a large projector, ratchet-strapped to several drawers. Then, the detectives struggled to keep a straight face.”
The Final Result
Just over a month later, every charge was dismissed.
