The Aftermath: The Evening Led By Donkeys Beamed Images of Trump and Epstein on to Windsor Castle
When the announcement was made for the former president's upcoming official trip, complete with a Windsor Castle banquet on September 17th, 2025, the activist collective known as Led By Donkeys was determined not to let it pass unprotested. The act of offering a lavish welcome seemed especially servile. Their subsequent creative protest unfolded with precision.
A Provocative Film
Activists created a short documentary exploring the connections with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. Its ending stated: “The president of the United States was a longstanding associate of the nation's most infamous sex offender. He’s alleged to be mentioned, repeatedly, in the files from the criminal probe into Epstein … And now that president, Donald Trump, is a guest in Windsor Castle.” (For his part, Trump maintains he fell out with Epstein years before Epstein’s initial legal troubles and has consistently denied all allegations concerning Epstein.)
Preparations and Execution
The group had booked rooms in the nearby Harte and Garter hotel, rooms advertised with views of the castle and, more crucially, superior castle views, according to group founder, Ben Stewart. Their equipment included a high-lumen 32,000-lumen projector. To broadcast sound, Stewart placed a wireless speaker, hidden inside a cereal box, on top of a public rubbish bin outside.
International press was assembled, staring at the castle, growing restless as Trump was delayed. Their film, spread rapidly everywhere. “Although the still pictures of Epstein and Trump spread like wildfire online,” Stewart says, “I doubt that convinces people of anything – it just makes Trump uneasy. Our documentary provides viewers a social object to share, implying: ‘This is something significant to examine here.’ It was a piece of guerrilla journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was seen by millions.”
The Reveal
It started with the recognizable Windsor Castle logo. “It requires the castle's round tower needs some technical calibration,” Stewart states. “First appeared this royal crest. Officers likely thought: ‘How pleasant – the royal family,’ and then abruptly a great big picture of Jeffrey Epstein materializes. A wave of shock passed through the officers around me, and the police raced into the hotel.”
Not Their First Protest
It wasn't the group’s first rodeo; it wasn’t even their first effort against Trump. Back in 2018, during his time with Greenpeace, Stewart had flown a paraglider near the hotel where the then-president was staying in Scotland. The following year, officers warned him that if he tried again, his safety wasn't assured.
The Arrests
But, the activists were not overly concerned about arrest. “All my anxiety is channelled into ensuring the action to succeed,” notes Oliver Knowles, a fellow founder. “By the time the police arrive, the message is already out.” The police response was rapid, reaching the hotel in under three minutes, highly agitated, he remembers. “They were in tactical gear and caps. They’d finally found some protesters. They charged up the stairs; prepared; tasked to safeguard the guest. Thankfully, no guns. But they were very adrenalised when they entered the room. I had to say: ‘We should keep this calm.’”
Delaying multiple police officers is a long time. It helped that officers were unsure which law to make arrests. When they finally entered the room, “one officer began reciting 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 subsequently detained for malicious communications, a law related to harassment. “and it’s very specific: 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, appeared contrary to the intent of the legislation,” Stewart says archly. While the others were detained, he slipped away, shortly thereafter boarded a train leaving Windsor, contacting legal counsel.
A Second Arrest and Questioning
Later that night, as the detainees were in the cells at Maidenhead police station, officers came in and arrested them again, now for public nuisance, having decided more likely to succeed. During interrogation, the only officers available belonged to the child protection squad – a twist that was not lost on anyone, given the subject matter of the protest involved Jeffrey Epstein. Knowles and his associates just answered every question with: “No comment.” A few minutes into the interview, police presented a photo: “They asked, did you remove the drawer from this nightstand?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Mr Knowles, do you know anyone who may have had cause to take the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I knew the next move: an image of a giant projector, ratchet-strapped to several drawers. At that point, the detectives struggled to maintain their composure.”
The Final Result
A little more than one month later, all charges were dropped.
