The Unfolding Events: The Evening Led By Donkeys Beamed Images of Trump and Epstein on to Windsor Castle

When the announcement was made for Donald Trump’s second state visit, including a Windsor Castle banquet on 17 September 2025, the protest group Led By Donkeys was determined not to let it pass without a statement. The act of rolling out the red carpet was viewed as especially servile. Their next art-activist event unfolded with precision.

A Provocative Film

The group produced a nine-minute film detailing Donald Trump’s relationship with notorious figure Jeffrey Epstein. Its ending stated: “The president of the United States is alleged to have been a longstanding associate of America’s most notorious child sex trafficker. His name is said to be mentioned, numerous times, in documents related to the investigation into Epstein … And now that very man, Donald Trump, is a guest within Windsor Castle.” (For his part, Trump maintains he fell out with Epstein years before Epstein’s first arrest and repeatedly refuted all allegations concerning Epstein.)

The Setup

The group had booked rooms in the nearby Harte and Garter hotel, which boast views of the castle and, even more helpfully, “castle view superior”, said group founder, Ben Stewart. Their equipment included a powerful 32,000-lumen projector. For audio, Stewart placed a Bluetooth speaker, hidden inside a cereal box, on top of a public rubbish bin outside.

The world’s media had gathered, their gaze fixed at the castle, becoming bored as Trump was delayed. The film, however, spread rapidly globally. “Although the still pictures of Epstein and Trump went viral online,” Stewart says, “I’m not sure that convinces people of anything – it just makes Trump uneasy. Our documentary gives people something tangible to share, implying: ‘This is something really serious to examine here.’ We took a piece of guerrilla journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was viewed by millions.”

The Moment of Projection

It started with the recognizable Windsor Castle logo. “It requires the castle's round tower requires some technical calibration,” Stewart states. “So there’s the royal coat of arms. Officers are thinking: ‘Ah, that’s nice – a royal tribute,’ and then abruptly a great big picture of Jeffrey Epstein materializes. This electric jolt goes through the officers nearby, and the police all pile into the hotel.”

A History of Activism

It wasn't the group’s first rodeo; it wasn’t even their first action targeting Trump. In 2018, during his time with Greenpeace, Stewart had flown a motorized paraglider near the resort where the president was staying during a visit to Turnberry. The following year, officers warned him that if he tried again, they couldn’t guarantee.

The Arrests

But, the group's creators were not especially worried about detainment. “All my anxiety goes into wanting the action to succeed,” notes Oliver Knowles, another co-founder. “By the time the police make the intervention, the message is already out.” The police response was swift, reaching the hotel within three minutes, highly agitated, Knowles recalls. “They were in jumpsuits and caps. They’d finally found some protesters. They came roaring up the stairs; prepared; tasked to protect the president. Fortunately, no guns. But they were very adrenalised upon entering the room. I told them: ‘Let’s keep this calm.’”

Stalling multiple police officers is a long time. The fact that officers were unsure which law to charge anyone. Upon finally entering the room, “one officer began reciting a clause of the Town and Country Planning Act, which another officer told him to stop as it was incorrect.” Knowles and three additional team members were then arrested for malicious communication, a law related to harassment. “and it’s very specific: its purpose is to deal with a really concerning offence. To throw it at an act of journalism, projected on to a wall, in defense of the reputation of the president, appeared against the spirit of the legislation,” Stewart says archly. While the others were detained, he slipped away, then soon after boarded a train leaving Windsor, calling lawyers.

A Second Arrest and Questioning

Later that night, while the activists were in the cells at Maidenhead police station, police re-entered and re-arrested them, this time for public nuisance, having decided more likely to succeed. During interrogation, the only officers available belonged to the child protection unit – an irony that was palpable, given the subject matter of the protest concerned Jeffrey Epstein. Knowles and his associates 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 bedside table?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Sir, do you know anybody else who may have had cause to take the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I anticipated the next move: a picture of a large projector, ratchet-strapped to several drawers. Then, the detectives were finding it hard to keep a straight face.”

The Final Result

Just over a month later, every charge were dropped.