The Aftermath: The Night The Activist Group Projected Pictures Featuring Trump and Epstein on to Windsor Castle
When plans were revealed for Donald Trump’s upcoming official trip, including a royal dinner at Windsor on 17 September 2025, the activist collective known as Led By Donkeys felt compelled to ensure it did not go unprotested. The act of rolling out the red carpet seemed particularly craven. Their subsequent creative protest proceeded with precision.
A Provocative Film
Activists created a short documentary exploring the connections with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. It concluded: “The president 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 related to the investigation into that individual … And now that very man, Donald Trump, is sleeping here within Windsor Castle.” (In response, Trump maintains he fell out with Epstein long prior to Epstein’s first arrest and has consistently denied all allegations in relation to Epstein.)
The Setup
The group had booked rooms in the adjacent Harte and Garter hotel, which boast “castle view” and, more crucially, “castle view superior”, according to group founder, Ben Stewart. Their equipment included a powerful 32,000-lumen projector. For audio, Stewart placed a wireless speaker, hidden inside a cereal box, on top of a garbage can outside.
International press was assembled, staring at the castle, becoming bored awaiting Trump's arrival. The film, however, spread rapidly everywhere. “While the still pictures 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, implying: ‘This is something significant to examine here.’ It was a piece of guerrilla journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was viewed 20m times.”
The Moment of Projection
The film began with the official Windsor Castle logo. “It requires a cylindrical building needs some technical calibration,” Stewart states. “First appeared the royal coat of arms. Officers are thinking: ‘How pleasant – the royal family,’ and suddenly a great big picture of Jeffrey Epstein appears. This electric jolt goes through the officers around me, and they raced 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 motorized paraglider over the resort where the president was staying in Scotland. The following year, officers warned him that any repeat, his safety wasn't assured.
The Arrests
However, the group's creators were not especially worried about arrest. “All my anxiety goes into ensuring the action to succeed,” says Oliver Knowles, a fellow founder. “By the time the police make the intervention, the die is cast.” Officers was swift, reaching the hotel within three minutes, highly agitated, he remembers. “They were in jumpsuits and caps. They had located some protesters. They came roaring up the stairs; they were briefed; tasked to protect the president. Thankfully, no firearms. But they were very adrenalised when they entered the room. I told them: ‘We should keep this really calm.’”
Stalling a large number of police officers is a long time. The fact that officers didn’t know under what law to make arrests. Upon finally entering the room, “one officer began reciting a section 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 communication, a law related to harassment. “The law is precise: it’s designed to address a serious offence. Applying it to a piece of journalism, projected on to a wall, in defense of the reputation of the president, seemed contrary to the intent of the legislation,” Stewart remarks pointedly. As his colleagues were arrested, he slipped away, then soon after boarded a train out of Windsor, calling lawyers.
A Second Arrest and Questioning
Some time in the middle of the night, as the detainees were in the cells at Maidenhead police station, officers came in and re-arrested them, now for public nuisance, deeming it a stronger charge. During interrogation, the only officers available belonged to the child protection unit – an irony which was not lost on anyone, given the focus of the protest involved alleged sex offender. Knowles and his associates responded to all queries with: “No comment.” Shortly after starting the interview, the officers slid over a photograph: “They asked, did you take the drawer from this nightstand?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Sir, do you know anyone who may have had reason to remove the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I knew what was coming: a picture of a giant projector, secured to several drawers. At that point, the officers were finding it hard to maintain their composure.”
The Final Result
Just over one month later, all charges were dropped.
