What Happened Next: The Evening Led By Donkeys Beamed Images of Trump and Epstein onto Windsor Castle
When the announcement was made 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 without a statement. The gesture of rolling out the red carpet was viewed as particularly craven. Their next art-activist event unfolded with precision.
A Deliberate Message
Activists created a short documentary exploring the connections with notorious figure Jeffrey Epstein. It concluded: “The commander-in-chief of the United States was a longstanding associate of America’s most notorious sex offender. He’s alleged to be referenced, numerous times, in documents related to the investigation into that individual … And now that president, Donald Trump, is a guest in Windsor Castle.” (In response, Trump maintains he ended his friendship with Epstein long prior to Epstein’s initial legal troubles and repeatedly refuted any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein.)
Preparations and Execution
The group had booked rooms in the adjacent Harte and Garter hotel, which boast “castle view” and, more crucially, superior castle views, according to a co-founder, Ben Stewart. They utilized a powerful 32,000-lumen projector. For audio, Stewart placed a wireless speaker, concealed within a box of cereal, atop a public rubbish bin outside.
International press had gathered, staring at the castle, growing restless awaiting Trump's arrival. Their film, gained traction globally. “Although the still pictures of Epstein and Trump spread like wildfire online,” Stewart notes, “I doubt that convinces people of anything – it just makes Trump uncomfortable. The film we made provides viewers a social object to share, implying: ‘This is something really serious to look at here.’ It was a piece of guerrilla journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was seen by millions.”
The Reveal
The film began with the official Windsor Castle logo. “Projecting onto a cylindrical building needs a little bit of mapping,” Stewart states. “So there’s the royal coat of arms. Officers are thinking: ‘How pleasant – the royal family,’ and then abruptly a great big picture of Jeffrey Epstein appears. This electric jolt passed through the officers around me, and they all pile into the hotel.”
A History of Activism
This was not their inaugural action; nor was it their first action against Trump. In 2018, during his time with Greenpeace, Stewart piloted a paraglider over the resort where the then-president was staying in Scotland. A year later, police visited him that any repeat, his safety wasn't assured.
Confrontation with Police
But, the activists were not overly concerned about arrest. “All my anxiety goes into ensuring the protest works,” says Oliver Knowles, another co-founder. “Once the police make the intervention, the message is already out.” Officers was rapid, arriving in the lobby within three minutes, “really pumped up”, he remembers. “Wearing jumpsuits and baseball caps. They had located the culprits. They came roaring up the stairs; prepared; tasked to safeguard the guest. Fortunately, no firearms. But they were very adrenalised upon entering the room. I had to say: ‘Let’s keep this really calm.’”
Stalling multiple police officers is a long time. The fact that they were unsure which law to charge anyone. Upon finally entering the room, “a policeman began reciting a clause of the Town and Country Planning Act, before another asked him to stop because it wasn’t right.” Knowles and three additional team members were then arrested for malicious communications, a law related to harassment. “The law is precise: it’s designed 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. As his colleagues were arrested, he melted into the crowd, shortly thereafter boarded a train out of 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, officers came in and arrested them again, this time for public nuisance, having decided a stronger charge. When they came to be questioned, the only officers available belonged to the child protection squad – an irony which was not lost on anyone, given the focus of the protest involved Jeffrey Epstein. Knowles and his associates responded to all queries with: “No comment.” A few minutes into the interview, the officers slid over a photograph: “‘Mr Knowles, 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 knew the next move: an image of a large projector, ratchet-strapped to four drawers. Then, the detectives were finding it hard to keep a straight face.”
The Outcome
A little more than one month later, every charge were dropped.
