What Happened Next: The Evening Led By Donkeys Projected 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 17 September 2025, the activist collective known as Led By Donkeys was determined not to let it pass without a statement. The gesture of rolling out the red carpet was viewed as particularly craven. Their subsequent creative protest proceeded like clockwork.
A Deliberate Message
Activists created a nine-minute film exploring the connections with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. It concluded: “The president of the United States is alleged to have been a longstanding associate of America’s most notorious child sex trafficker. He’s alleged to be referenced, repeatedly, in documents related to the investigation into Epstein … And now that very man, Donald Trump, is a guest within Windsor Castle.” (In response, Trump has stated he fell out with Epstein years before Epstein’s first arrest and repeatedly refuted all allegations concerning Epstein.)
Preparations and Execution
The activists had secured rooms in the adjacent Harte and Garter hotel, rooms advertised with views of the castle and, even more helpfully, “castle view superior”, said a co-founder, Ben Stewart. They utilized a powerful projector. To broadcast sound, Stewart placed a wireless speaker, concealed inside a cereal box, atop a garbage can outside.
International press was assembled, staring at the castle, becoming bored awaiting Trump's arrival. The film, however, gained traction globally. “Although photographs of Epstein and Trump went viral online,” Stewart notes, “I doubt that persuades anyone of anything – it just makes Trump uneasy. Our documentary provides viewers something tangible to share, implying: ‘There’s something significant to look at here.’ It was an act of activist journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was viewed 20m times.”
The Moment of Projection
The film began with the recognizable Windsor Castle logo. “Projecting onto the castle's round tower needs a little bit of mapping,” Stewart explains. “First appeared the royal coat of arms. Officers are thinking: ‘How pleasant – a royal tribute,’ and suddenly a great big picture of Jeffrey Epstein materializes. This electric jolt goes through the officers nearby, and the police raced into the hotel.”
Not Their First Protest
It wasn't the group’s first rodeo; nor was it their first action targeting Trump. In 2018, during his time with Greenpeace, Stewart piloted a motorized paraglider over the hotel where the president was staying during a visit to Turnberry. A year later, police visited him that if he tried again, his safety wasn't assured.
The Arrests
But, the group's creators were not especially worried about arrest. “All my anxiety is channelled into wanting the action to succeed,” says Oliver Knowles, a fellow founder. “Once the police arrive, the message is already out.” The police response was rapid, reaching the hotel in under three minutes, “really pumped up”, Knowles recalls. “They were in jumpsuits and baseball caps. They’d finally found some protesters. They charged up the stairs; they were briefed; tasked to protect the president. Thankfully, no firearms. But they were extremely tense when they entered the room. I told them: ‘Let’s keep this really calm.’”
Delaying multiple police officers for six minutes. The fact that officers didn’t know 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 asked him to stop as it was incorrect.” Knowles and three other activists were then arrested for malicious communications, a stalking law. “and it’s very specific: it’s designed to deal with a serious offence. Applying it to a piece of journalism, projected on to a wall, in defense of the reputation of the president, appeared against the spirit of the legislation,” Stewart remarks pointedly. As his colleagues were arrested, he slipped away, then soon after was on a train out of Windsor, contacting legal counsel.
A Second Arrest and Questioning
Later in the middle of the night, while the activists sat in cells at Maidenhead police station, officers came in and re-arrested them, now 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 – an irony that was palpable, given the focus of the protest concerned Jeffrey Epstein. Knowles and his associates just answered every question with: “I have no comment.” A few minutes into the interview, the officers slid over a photo: “They asked, did you take the drawer from this bedside table?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Mr Knowles, do you know anyone who may have had reason to remove the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I knew the next move: a picture of a giant projector, secured to four drawers. Then, the officers were finding it hard to keep a straight face.”
The Final Result
A little more than one month later, every charge was dismissed.
