The Unfolding Events: The Night Led By Donkeys Projected Pictures Featuring Trump and Epstein on to Windsor Castle
When plans were revealed for the former president's second state visit, including a Windsor Castle banquet on September 17th, 2025, the activist collective known as Led By Donkeys felt compelled not to let it pass unprotested. The act of offering a lavish welcome seemed especially servile. Their next art-activist event proceeded like clockwork.
A Provocative Film
Activists created a short documentary detailing Donald Trump’s relationship with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. It concluded: “The commander-in-chief of the United States is alleged to have been a longstanding associate of the nation's most infamous sex offender. His name is said to be referenced, repeatedly, in documents related to the criminal probe into that individual … And now that very man, Donald Trump, is a guest in Windsor Castle.” (For his part, Trump has stated he fell out with Epstein years before Epstein’s initial legal troubles and has consistently denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein.)
The Setup
The group had booked rooms in the nearby Harte and Garter hotel, rooms advertised with “castle view” and, even more helpfully, superior castle views, said a co-founder, Ben Stewart. They utilized a powerful 32,000-lumen projector. To broadcast sound, Stewart placed a wireless speaker, concealed inside a cereal box, on top of a public rubbish bin outside.
International press had gathered, their gaze fixed at the castle, growing restless as Trump was delayed. The film, however, spread rapidly everywhere. “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. Our documentary gives people something tangible to share, saying: ‘This is something really serious to examine here.’ We took a piece of guerrilla journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was seen 20m times.”
The Moment of Projection
It started with the official Windsor Castle logo. “Projecting onto the castle's round tower requires some technical calibration,” Stewart explains. “So there’s this royal crest. Officers are thinking: ‘Ah, that’s nice – a royal tribute,’ and suddenly a massive image of Jeffrey Epstein materializes. A wave of shock goes through the officers nearby, and they all pile into the hotel.”
A History of Activism
It wasn't the group’s first rodeo; it wasn’t even their first action targeting Trump. Back 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, his safety wasn't assured.
The Arrests
However, the activists weren't especially worried about arrest. “All my anxiety is channelled into ensuring the action to succeed,” says Oliver Knowles, a fellow founder. “Once the police make the intervention, the die is cast.” Officers was swift, arriving in the lobby in under three minutes, highly agitated, he remembers. “They were in jumpsuits and caps. They’d finally found some protesters. They came roaring up the stairs; prepared; tasked to protect the president. Thankfully, no firearms. But they were extremely tense when they entered the room. I had to say: ‘Let’s keep this really calm.’”
Delaying multiple police officers for six minutes. The fact that they didn’t know which law to make arrests. Upon finally entering the room, “one officer began reciting a clause of the Town and Country Planning Act, before another asked him to stop as it was incorrect.” Knowles and three additional team members were then arrested for malicious communication, a law related to harassment. “and it’s very specific: its purpose is to deal with a serious offence. To throw it at a piece of journalism, displayed on 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 slipped away, then soon after was on a train out of Windsor, calling lawyers.
An Ironic Interrogation
Later that night, while the activists were in the cells at Maidenhead police station, police re-entered and arrested them again, now for public nuisance, having decided a stronger charge. During interrogation, the only officers available were from the child protection unit – a twist which was palpable, given the subject matter of the protest concerned Jeffrey Epstein. Knowles and his associates responded to every question with: “No comment.” Shortly after starting the interview, the officers slid over a photograph: “‘Mr Knowles, did you remove the drawer from this bedside table?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Mr Knowles, do you know anybody else who may have had cause to take the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I anticipated what was coming: a picture of a large projector, secured to four drawers. At that point, the detectives were finding it hard to maintain their composure.”
The Outcome
Just over a month later, every charge were dropped.
