The Aftermath: The Night The Activist Group Beamed Pictures Featuring Trump and Epstein on to Windsor Castle
When the announcement was made for Donald Trump’s second state visit, including a Windsor Castle banquet on September 17th, 2025, the activist collective Led By Donkeys was determined not to let it pass without a statement. The act of rolling out the red carpet was viewed as especially servile. Their subsequent creative protest proceeded like clockwork.
A Deliberate Message
The group produced a nine-minute film exploring the connections with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. It concluded: “The president of the United States was a long-time close friend of the nation's most infamous child sex trafficker. His name is said to be mentioned, numerous times, in the files related to the criminal probe into Epstein … Now that very man, Donald Trump, is sleeping here within Windsor Castle.” (For his part, Trump has stated he fell out with Epstein years before Epstein’s first arrest and has consistently denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein.)
Preparations and Execution
The group had secured rooms in the nearby Harte and Garter hotel, which boast “castle view” and, more crucially, “castle view superior”, said group founder, Ben Stewart. Their equipment included a powerful 32,000-lumen projector. To broadcast sound, Stewart positioned a wireless speaker, hidden inside a cereal box, atop a garbage can outside.
International press had gathered, their gaze fixed at the castle, becoming bored as Trump was delayed. The film, however, gained traction everywhere. “While the still pictures of Epstein and Trump went viral online,” Stewart says, “I’m not sure that convinces people of anything – it just makes Trump uncomfortable. Our documentary gives people something tangible to share, saying: ‘This is something really serious to look at here.’ We took an act of activist journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was viewed by millions.”
The Moment of Projection
The film began with the recognizable Windsor Castle logo. “It requires the castle's round tower requires a little bit of mapping,” Stewart explains. “So there’s the royal coat of arms. The police are thinking: ‘Ah, that’s nice – the royal family,’ and suddenly a great big picture of Jeffrey Epstein appears. A wave of shock 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; it wasn’t even their first effort targeting Trump. Back in 2018, during his time with Greenpeace, Stewart piloted a motorized paraglider over the resort where the president was staying during a visit to Turnberry. A year later, police visited him that if he tried again, they couldn’t guarantee.
Confrontation with Police
But, the group's creators weren't overly concerned about arrest. “My nervous energy is channelled into wanting the protest works,” notes Oliver Knowles, another co-founder. “Once the police make the intervention, the die is cast.” The police response was swift, reaching the hotel in under three minutes, “really pumped up”, Knowles recalls. “They were in tactical gear and caps. They’d finally found the culprits. They came roaring up the stairs; prepared; they were on a mission to protect the president. Thankfully, no firearms. But they were very adrenalised upon entering the room. I had to say: ‘We should keep this really calm.’”
Stalling a large number of police officers for six minutes. It helped that they were unsure which law to charge anyone. Upon finally entering the room, “one officer started reading a clause of the Town and Country Planning Act, before another asked him to stop because it wasn’t right.” Knowles and three additional team members were then arrested for malicious communications, a stalking law. “The law is precise: it’s designed to address a really concerning 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. As his colleagues were arrested, he melted into the crowd, shortly thereafter was on a train out of Windsor, calling lawyers.
An Ironic Interrogation
Some time that night, while the activists were in the cells at Maidenhead police station, officers came in and arrested them again, this time for causing a public nuisance, deeming it a stronger charge. When they came to be questioned, the only officers available belonged to the child protection squad – an irony that was palpable, given the focus of the protest concerned alleged sex offender. Knowles and his associates just answered every question with: “No comment.” A few minutes into the interview, the officers slid over a photo: “‘Mr Knowles, did you remove the drawer from this bedside table?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Mr Knowles, do you know anyone who may have had cause to take the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I anticipated what was coming: an image 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
Just over a month later, every charge was dismissed.
