The Unfolding Events: The Evening Led By Donkeys Beamed Images of Trump and Epstein on to Windsor Castle
When plans were revealed for the former president's second state visit, 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 rolling out the red carpet was viewed as particularly craven. Their subsequent creative protest proceeded like clockwork.
A Provocative Film
Activists created a nine-minute film exploring Donald Trump’s relationship with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. Its ending stated: “The president of the United States is alleged to have been a long-time close friend of America’s most notorious sex offender. His name is said to be referenced, numerous times, in documents from the investigation into that individual … Now that very man, Donald Trump, is a guest within Windsor Castle.” (For his part, Trump has stated he fell out with Epstein long prior to Epstein’s first arrest and repeatedly refuted all allegations concerning Epstein.)
Preparations and Execution
The group had booked rooms in the nearby Harte and Garter hotel, rooms advertised with “castle view” and, even more helpfully, superior castle views, according to group founder, Ben Stewart. Their equipment included a powerful projector. To broadcast sound, Stewart placed a Bluetooth speaker, hidden inside a cereal box, on top of a public rubbish bin outside.
International press had gathered, staring at the castle, becoming bored as Trump was delayed. Their film, gained traction globally. “Although photographs of Epstein and Trump spread like wildfire online,” Stewart notes, “I’m not sure that persuades anyone of anything – it simply makes Trump uncomfortable. The film we made gives people a social object to share, saying: ‘This is something really serious 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
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: ‘Ah, that’s nice – the royal family,’ and then abruptly a massive image of Jeffrey Epstein materializes. A wave of shock passed through the police in fluorescent jackets nearby, and the police all pile into the hotel.”
A History of Activism
This was not their inaugural action; nor was it their first effort targeting Trump. In 2018, while working for Greenpeace, Stewart had flown a paraglider near the resort where the president was staying in Scotland. The following year, police visited him that if he tried again, his safety wasn't assured.
The Arrests
However, the activists weren't especially worried about arrest. “My nervous energy goes into ensuring the protest works,” says Oliver Knowles, another co-founder. “By the time the police make the intervention, the message is already out.” The police response was swift, arriving in the lobby within three minutes, highly agitated, Knowles recalls. “They were in tactical gear and caps. They had located the culprits. They charged up the stairs; they were briefed; they were on a mission to protect the president. Fortunately, no guns. But they were very adrenalised upon entering the room. I told them: ‘We should keep this calm.’”
Delaying multiple police officers is a long time. The fact that officers didn’t know which law to charge anyone. When they finally entered the room, “a policeman began reciting a clause of the Town and Country Planning Act, before another told him to stop as it was incorrect.” Knowles and three additional team members were then arrested for malicious communication, a law related to harassment. “The law is precise: it’s designed to address a serious 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 remarks pointedly. As his colleagues were arrested, he slipped away, shortly thereafter boarded a train leaving Windsor, contacting legal counsel.
An Ironic Interrogation
Some time in the middle of the night, while the activists sat in cells at Maidenhead police station, police re-entered and arrested them again, now for causing a public nuisance, deeming it more likely to succeed. When they came to be questioned, the sole available interrogators belonged to the child protection unit – an irony which was not lost on anyone, given the subject matter of the protest involved alleged sex offender. Knowles and his associates responded to all queries with: “No comment.” A few minutes into the interview, police presented a photo: “‘Mr Knowles, did you take the drawer from this nightstand?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Mr Knowles, do you know anyone who may have had reason to remove the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I anticipated the next move: an image of a large projector, secured to four drawers. Then, the detectives were finding it hard to keep a straight face.”
The Final Result
A little more than a month later, every charge was dismissed.
