The Unfolding Events: The Evening Led By Donkeys Projected Images of Trump and Epstein onto Windsor Castle
When plans were revealed for Donald Trump’s upcoming official trip, complete with a Windsor Castle banquet on 17 September 2025, the activist collective known as Led By Donkeys felt compelled to ensure it did not go without a statement. The act of rolling out the red carpet seemed particularly craven. Their subsequent art-activist event unfolded like clockwork.
A Provocative Film
Activists created a short documentary exploring 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 long-time close friend of America’s most notorious child sex trafficker. His name is said to be mentioned, numerous times, in the files from the investigation into Epstein … And now that very man, Donald Trump, is sleeping here within Windsor Castle.” (In response, Trump maintains 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 activists had booked rooms in the nearby Harte and Garter hotel, rooms advertised with views of the castle and, more crucially, superior castle views, said group founder, Ben Stewart. They utilized a powerful 32,000-lumen projector. To broadcast sound, Stewart placed a Bluetooth speaker, hidden within a box of cereal, on top of a public rubbish bin outside.
International press had gathered, staring at the castle, growing restless as Trump was delayed. Their film, gained traction globally. “While photographs of Epstein and Trump spread like wildfire online,” Stewart notes, “I’m not sure that convinces people of anything – it just makes Trump uncomfortable. Our documentary provides viewers a social object to share, saying: ‘This is something significant to look at here.’ We took a piece of guerrilla journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was seen 20m times.”
The Moment of Projection
The film began with the recognizable Windsor Castle logo. “It requires a cylindrical building requires a little bit of mapping,” Stewart explains. “So there’s the royal coat of arms. Officers are thinking: ‘How pleasant – a royal tribute,’ and suddenly a massive image of Jeffrey Epstein appears. A wave of shock goes through the officers nearby, and they raced into the hotel.”
Not Their First Protest
This was not the group’s first rodeo; it wasn’t even their first effort targeting Trump. In 2018, while working for Greenpeace, Stewart had flown a paraglider near the resort where the president was staying during a visit to Turnberry. The following year, police visited him that if he tried again, they couldn’t guarantee.
The Arrests
But, the group's creators were not overly concerned about detainment. “My nervous energy goes into ensuring the protest works,” notes Oliver Knowles, a fellow founder. “By the time the police make the intervention, the message is already out.” Officers was swift, 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 came roaring up the stairs; they were briefed; tasked to safeguard the guest. Fortunately, no guns. But they were very adrenalised when they entered the room. I told them: ‘Let’s keep this calm.’”
Stalling a large number of police officers is a long time. The fact that officers were unsure under what law to charge anyone. When they finally entered the room, “one officer began reciting a section of the Town and Country Planning Act, which another officer told him to stop because it wasn’t right.” Knowles and three other team members were subsequently detained for malicious communication, a law related to harassment. “The law is precise: it’s designed to address a really concerning offence. To throw it at an act of journalism, projected on to a wall, to protect the reputation of the president, appeared against the spirit of the legislation,” Stewart says archly. While the others were detained, he melted into the crowd, shortly thereafter was on a train leaving Windsor, calling lawyers.
An Ironic Interrogation
Later that night, as the detainees were in the cells at Maidenhead police station, officers came in and re-arrested them, now for causing a public nuisance, having decided more likely to succeed. During interrogation, the only officers available were from the child protection unit – a twist which was palpable, given the focus of the protest involved Jeffrey Epstein. The activists responded to every question with: “I have no comment.” Shortly after starting the interview, the officers slid over a photograph: “They asked, did you remove the drawer from this nightstand?’ ‘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: an image of a giant projector, secured to several drawers. At that point, the detectives were finding it hard to maintain their composure.”
The Outcome
A little more than one month later, every charge were dropped.
