What Happened Next: The Night The Activist Group 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 September 17th, 2025, the activist collective Led By Donkeys was determined to ensure it did not go unprotested. The act of offering a lavish welcome seemed particularly craven. Their subsequent creative protest unfolded like clockwork.
A Provocative Film
Activists created a nine-minute film exploring the connections with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. Its ending stated: “The president of the United States was a longstanding associate of America’s most notorious child sex trafficker. He’s alleged to be mentioned, numerous times, in documents related to the investigation into that individual … And now that very man, Donald Trump, is a guest within Windsor Castle.” (For his part, Trump has stated he ended his friendship with Epstein years before Epstein’s initial legal troubles and repeatedly refuted all allegations concerning Epstein.)
The Setup
The group had secured rooms in the nearby Harte and Garter hotel, rooms advertised with “castle view” and, even more helpfully, superior castle views, according to group founder, Ben Stewart. Their equipment included a powerful 32,000-lumen projector. For audio, Stewart placed a wireless speaker, hidden inside a cereal box, on top of a public rubbish bin outside.
International press had gathered, staring at the castle, becoming bored as Trump was delayed. Their film, gained traction globally. “While the still pictures of Epstein and Trump went viral online,” Stewart notes, “I’m not sure that persuades anyone of anything – it simply makes Trump uncomfortable. The film we made provides viewers a social object to share, saying: ‘This is something significant to look at here.’ It was an act of activist journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was viewed 20m times.”
The Reveal
The film began with the recognizable Windsor Castle logo. “Projecting onto the castle's round tower requires some technical calibration,” Stewart states. “So there’s this royal crest. The police likely thought: ‘How pleasant – the royal family,’ and then abruptly a great big picture of Jeffrey Epstein materializes. This electric jolt passed through the police in fluorescent jackets around me, and they all pile into the hotel.”
A History of Activism
This was not the group’s first rodeo; it wasn’t even their first action against Trump. Back in 2018, during his time with Greenpeace, Stewart had flown a motorized paraglider near the hotel where the then-president was staying in Scotland. A year later, officers warned him that if he tried again, his safety wasn't assured.
The Arrests
But, the activists were not especially worried about detainment. “All my anxiety is channelled into ensuring the action to succeed,” says Oliver Knowles, another co-founder. “Once the police arrive, the die is cast.” The police response was swift, reaching the hotel in under three minutes, “really pumped up”, he remembers. “Wearing jumpsuits and baseball caps. They had located the culprits. They charged up the stairs; they were briefed; they were on a mission to safeguard the guest. Thankfully, no firearms. But they were very adrenalised upon entering the room. I told them: ‘We should keep this really calm.’”
Stalling a large number of police officers is a long time. It helped that officers didn’t know under what 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 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 address a really concerning offence. Applying it to an act of journalism, displayed on a wall, to protect the reputation of the president, seemed contrary to the intent of the legislation,” Stewart says archly. As his colleagues were arrested, he melted into the crowd, shortly thereafter was on a train out of 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 causing a public nuisance, having decided a stronger charge. When they came to be questioned, the sole available interrogators belonged to the child protection squad – a twist which was not lost on anyone, given the focus 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, police presented a photograph: “‘Mr Knowles, did you remove the drawer from this nightstand?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Mr Knowles, do you know anybody else who may have had reason to remove the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I knew the next move: a picture of a large projector, ratchet-strapped to four drawers. At that point, the officers were finding it hard to maintain their composure.”
The Final Result
A little more than a month later, all charges were dropped.
