The Aftermath: The Evening Led By Donkeys Beamed Images of 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 Led By Donkeys felt compelled not to let it pass without a statement. The act of offering a lavish welcome was viewed as especially servile. Their next creative protest unfolded like clockwork.
A Provocative Film
Activists created a nine-minute film exploring Donald Trump’s relationship with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. It concluded: “The commander-in-chief of the United States was a long-time close friend of America’s most notorious sex offender. He’s alleged to be mentioned, numerous times, in the files from the criminal probe into that individual … 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.)
Preparations and Execution
The group had secured rooms in the nearby Harte and Garter hotel, rooms advertised with views of the castle and, even more helpfully, superior castle views, according to a co-founder, Ben Stewart. Their equipment included a high-lumen projector. To broadcast sound, Stewart positioned a wireless speaker, concealed within a box of cereal, atop a garbage can outside.
The world’s media was assembled, staring at the castle, growing restless awaiting Trump's arrival. Their film, spread rapidly globally. “Although the still pictures of Epstein and Trump spread like wildfire online,” Stewart notes, “I doubt that convinces people of anything – it simply makes Trump uneasy. Our documentary gives people something tangible to share, saying: ‘There’s something really serious to look at here.’ It was a piece of guerrilla journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was viewed 20m times.”
The Moment of Projection
It started with the official Windsor Castle logo. “It requires a cylindrical building requires some technical calibration,” Stewart states. “First appeared the royal coat of arms. Officers likely thought: ‘How pleasant – a royal tribute,’ and then abruptly a massive image of Jeffrey Epstein materializes. This electric jolt passed through the officers around me, and the police all pile into the hotel.”
A History of Activism
This was not the group’s first rodeo; it wasn’t even their first effort against Trump. In 2018, while working for Greenpeace, Stewart piloted a paraglider near the hotel where the president was staying in Scotland. A year later, police visited him that any repeat, his safety wasn't assured.
Confrontation with Police
However, the group's creators were not overly concerned about detainment. “All my anxiety is channelled into ensuring the action to succeed,” notes Oliver Knowles, a fellow founder. “Once the police make the intervention, the message is already out.” The police response was rapid, reaching the hotel within three minutes, “really pumped up”, Knowles recalls. “They were in tactical gear and baseball caps. They’d finally found the culprits. They charged up the stairs; prepared; they were on a mission to protect the president. Fortunately, no firearms. But they were extremely tense when they entered the room. I had to say: ‘We should keep this really calm.’”
Stalling a large number of police officers is a long time. It helped that they were unsure under what law to make arrests. Upon finally entering the room, “one officer began reciting a section of the Town and Country Planning Act, before another told 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. “and it’s very specific: it’s designed to address a serious offence. Applying it to a piece of journalism, projected on to a wall, to protect the reputation of the president, seemed against the spirit of the legislation,” Stewart says archly. As his colleagues were arrested, he slipped away, shortly thereafter boarded a train out of Windsor, calling lawyers.
An Ironic Interrogation
Some time that night, while the activists were in the cells at Maidenhead police station, officers came in and arrested them again, now for public nuisance, deeming it more likely to succeed. During interrogation, the sole available interrogators were from the child protection squad – a twist which was palpable, given the subject matter of the protest concerned alleged sex offender. Knowles and his associates just answered all queries with: “No comment.” A few minutes into the interview, police presented a photo: “They asked, did you take the drawer from this nightstand?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Sir, do you know anybody else who may have had cause to take the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I anticipated the next move: an image of a giant projector, ratchet-strapped to four drawers. Then, the detectives were finding it hard to maintain their composure.”
The Final Result
Just over a month later, every charge were dropped.
