The Unfolding Events: The Night The Activist Group Beamed Images of 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 September 17th, 2025, the activist collective Led By Donkeys was determined to ensure it did not go unprotested. The gesture of rolling out the red carpet seemed especially servile. Their next creative protest unfolded like clockwork.
A Deliberate Message
Activists created a nine-minute film 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 child sex trafficker. He’s alleged to be mentioned, numerous times, in documents related to the investigation into Epstein … And now that very man, Donald Trump, is a guest in Windsor Castle.” (In response, Trump maintains he ended his friendship with Epstein long prior to Epstein’s first arrest and has consistently denied all allegations concerning Epstein.)
The Setup
The activists had booked rooms in the nearby Harte and Garter hotel, which boast “castle view” and, more crucially, superior castle views, said group founder, Ben Stewart. Their equipment included a high-lumen 32,000-lumen projector. For audio, Stewart placed a wireless speaker, concealed inside a cereal box, atop a garbage can outside.
International press was assembled, staring at the castle, growing restless awaiting Trump's arrival. The film, however, spread rapidly globally. “While photographs of Epstein and Trump went viral online,” Stewart notes, “I doubt that convinces people of anything – it just makes Trump uncomfortable. Our documentary provides viewers something tangible to share, implying: ‘This is something really serious to look at here.’ It was an act of activist journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was seen 20m times.”
The Moment of Projection
The film began with the official Windsor Castle logo. “It requires the castle's round tower requires a little bit of mapping,” Stewart states. “So there’s the royal coat of arms. The police are thinking: ‘How pleasant – a royal tribute,’ and then abruptly a great big picture of Jeffrey Epstein appears. This electric jolt passed through the police in fluorescent jackets around me, and the police all pile into the hotel.”
Not Their First Protest
This was not the group’s first rodeo; nor was it their first effort against Trump. In 2018, during his time with Greenpeace, Stewart piloted a paraglider near the resort where the then-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 were not especially worried about arrest. “My nervous energy is channelled into ensuring the protest works,” says Oliver Knowles, a fellow founder. “Once the police make the intervention, the message is already out.” Officers was rapid, arriving in the lobby in under three minutes, “really pumped up”, Knowles recalls. “They were in tactical gear and baseball caps. They’d finally found some protesters. They came roaring up the stairs; prepared; tasked to protect the president. Fortunately, no firearms. But they were very adrenalised upon entering the room. I told them: ‘Let’s keep this calm.’”
Delaying multiple police officers for six minutes. It helped that officers didn’t know which law to make arrests. Upon finally entering the room, “one officer started reading a clause of the Town and Country Planning Act, which another officer asked him to stop because it wasn’t right.” Knowles and three other activists were then arrested for malicious communications, a law related to harassment. “and it’s very specific: it’s designed to address a serious offence. Applying it to an act of journalism, displayed on a wall, in defense of the reputation of the president, appeared against the spirit of the legislation,” Stewart says archly. As his colleagues were arrested, he melted into the crowd, then soon after boarded a train leaving Windsor, calling lawyers.
An Ironic Interrogation
Some time that night, as the detainees 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. During interrogation, the sole available interrogators belonged to the child protection squad – a twist which was palpable, given the focus of the protest involved alleged sex offender. The activists responded to every question with: “I have no comment.” A few minutes into the interview, police presented a photograph: “‘Mr Knowles, did you take the drawer from this nightstand?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Sir, do you know anyone who may have had cause to take the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I knew what was coming: a picture of a giant projector, secured to several drawers. Then, the detectives were finding it hard to keep a straight face.”
The Outcome
Just over a month later, all charges were dropped.
