The Aftermath: The Night Led By Donkeys Projected Images of Trump and Epstein onto Windsor Castle
When the announcement was made for Donald Trump’s upcoming official trip, complete with a Windsor Castle banquet on September 17th, 2025, the protest group known as Led By Donkeys felt compelled not to let it pass without a statement. The gesture of rolling out the red carpet was viewed as particularly craven. Their next creative protest proceeded with precision.
A Deliberate Message
Activists created a nine-minute film detailing Donald Trump’s relationship with notorious figure Jeffrey Epstein. Its ending stated: “The president of the United States was a longstanding associate of America’s most notorious child sex trafficker. His name is said to be referenced, repeatedly, in the files from the criminal probe into that individual … Now that very man, Donald Trump, is sleeping here in Windsor Castle.” (In response, Trump maintains he ended his friendship with Epstein years before Epstein’s initial legal troubles and has consistently denied all allegations concerning Epstein.)
The Setup
The activists had secured rooms in the nearby Harte and Garter hotel, rooms advertised with views of the castle and, more crucially, superior castle views, said a co-founder, Ben Stewart. They utilized a powerful projector. To broadcast sound, Stewart placed a wireless speaker, hidden within a box of cereal, on top of a garbage can outside.
The world’s media was assembled, staring at the castle, growing restless awaiting Trump's arrival. Their film, spread rapidly globally. “While the still pictures of Epstein and Trump went viral online,” Stewart notes, “I doubt that convinces people of anything – it just makes Trump uneasy. Our documentary gives people a social object to share, implying: ‘There’s something significant to look at here.’ We took a piece of guerrilla journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was viewed 20m times.”
The Moment of Projection
It started with the official Windsor Castle logo. “It requires a cylindrical building requires some technical calibration,” Stewart explains. “First appeared this royal crest. The police are thinking: ‘Ah, that’s nice – the royal family,’ and suddenly a great big picture of Jeffrey Epstein appears. This electric jolt passed through the officers around me, and they all pile into the hotel.”
A History of Activism
This was not their inaugural action; nor was it their first action targeting Trump. Back in 2018, while working for Greenpeace, Stewart piloted a paraglider near the hotel where the president was staying during a visit to Turnberry. A year later, officers warned him that any repeat, they couldn’t guarantee.
Confrontation with Police
But, the activists weren't overly concerned about arrest. “All my anxiety is channelled into wanting the protest works,” says Oliver Knowles, another co-founder. “By the time the police make the intervention, the die is cast.” Officers was rapid, arriving in the lobby within three minutes, “really pumped up”, Knowles recalls. “They were in jumpsuits and caps. They had located some protesters. They charged up the stairs; they were briefed; 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: ‘Let’s keep this calm.’”
Delaying a large number of police officers for six minutes. The fact that officers were unsure under what law to charge anyone. When they finally entered the room, “a policeman started reading a clause of the Town and Country Planning Act, which another officer told him to stop because it wasn’t right.” Knowles and three other team members were then arrested for malicious communication, a stalking law. “The law is precise: its purpose is to address a serious offence. To throw it at an act of journalism, displayed on a wall, to protect the reputation of the president, seemed against the spirit of the legislation,” Stewart says archly. While the others were detained, he melted into the crowd, shortly thereafter was on a train out of Windsor, contacting legal counsel.
An Ironic Interrogation
Later that night, as the detainees sat in cells at Maidenhead police station, officers came in and arrested them again, now for public nuisance, deeming it a stronger charge. During interrogation, the sole available interrogators belonged to 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 just answered every question with: “I have no comment.” Shortly after starting the interview, the officers slid over a photograph: “They asked, did you take 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 the next move: an image of a large projector, ratchet-strapped to several drawers. At that point, the detectives struggled to keep a straight face.”
The Final Result
Just over a month later, all charges were dropped.
