The Unfolding Events: The Evening The Activist Group Beamed Pictures Featuring Trump and Epstein onto Windsor Castle
When plans were revealed for the former president's upcoming official trip, including a royal dinner at Windsor on 17 September 2025, the activist collective known as Led By Donkeys was determined to ensure it did not go without a statement. The act of offering a lavish welcome seemed especially servile. Their next creative protest unfolded with precision.
A Deliberate Message
The group produced a short documentary detailing Donald Trump’s relationship with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. It concluded: “The president of the United States is alleged to have been a longstanding associate of the nation's most infamous child sex trafficker. His name is said to be referenced, repeatedly, in the files related to the investigation into that individual … Now that president, Donald Trump, is a guest in Windsor Castle.” (For his part, Trump has stated he ended his friendship with Epstein long prior to Epstein’s first arrest and repeatedly refuted any wrongdoing concerning Epstein.)
Preparations and Execution
The activists had booked rooms in the nearby Harte and Garter hotel, rooms advertised with “castle view” and, more crucially, superior castle views, according to group founder, Ben Stewart. They utilized a powerful 32,000-lumen projector. To broadcast sound, Stewart placed a Bluetooth speaker, concealed within a box of cereal, on top of a garbage can outside.
The world’s media had gathered, staring at the castle, growing restless awaiting Trump's arrival. The film, however, gained traction everywhere. “While photographs of Epstein and Trump went viral online,” Stewart notes, “I doubt that convinces people of anything – it simply makes Trump uncomfortable. The film we made gives people a social object to share, implying: ‘This is something really serious to examine here.’ It was a piece of guerrilla journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was viewed by millions.”
The Moment of Projection
It started with the official Windsor Castle logo. “It requires a cylindrical building needs a little bit of mapping,” Stewart explains. “So there’s the royal coat of arms. Officers are thinking: ‘How pleasant – a royal tribute,’ and suddenly a great big picture of Jeffrey Epstein appears. A wave of shock passed through the officers nearby, and they all pile into the hotel.”
A History of Activism
It wasn't the group’s first rodeo; nor was it their first action against Trump. In 2018, during his time with Greenpeace, Stewart had flown a paraglider over the resort where the then-president was staying in Scotland. A year later, officers warned him that any repeat, they couldn’t guarantee.
The Arrests
But, the activists weren't especially worried about detainment. “All my anxiety is channelled 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 within three minutes, highly agitated, Knowles recalls. “Wearing jumpsuits and caps. They had located some protesters. They charged up the stairs; they were briefed; tasked to protect the president. Thankfully, no guns. But they were very adrenalised upon entering the room. I told them: ‘Let’s keep this really calm.’”
Stalling multiple police officers for six minutes. It helped that they didn’t know under what law to charge anyone. Upon finally entering the room, “one officer began reciting a clause of the Town and Country Planning Act, before another 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 really concerning offence. To throw it at a piece of journalism, projected on to a wall, in defense of 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 boarded a train out of Windsor, contacting legal counsel.
A Second Arrest and Questioning
Later in the middle of the night, while the activists were in the 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 unit – a twist that was palpable, given the subject matter of the protest involved Jeffrey Epstein. Knowles and his associates responded to all queries with: “I have no comment.” Shortly after starting the interview, police presented a photo: “‘Mr Knowles, did you remove 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 anticipated what was coming: an image of a giant projector, secured to several drawers. Then, the officers were finding it hard to maintain their composure.”
The Outcome
A little more than one month later, all charges was dismissed.
