The Unfolding Events: The Night Led By Donkeys Beamed Images of Trump and Epstein onto Windsor Castle
When plans were revealed for Donald Trump’s upcoming official trip, complete with a royal dinner at Windsor on September 17th, 2025, the protest group known as Led By Donkeys felt compelled not to let it pass without a statement. The act of rolling out the red carpet was viewed as particularly craven. Their subsequent art-activist event unfolded with precision.
A Provocative Film
The group produced a short documentary exploring Donald Trump’s relationship with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. It concluded: “The president of the United States was a long-time close friend of America’s most notorious child sex trafficker. He’s alleged to be referenced, numerous times, in documents from the investigation into Epstein … And now that president, Donald Trump, is a guest within Windsor Castle.” (In response, Trump has stated he fell out with Epstein years before Epstein’s first arrest and repeatedly refuted any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein.)
The Setup
The group had secured rooms in the nearby Harte and Garter hotel, which boast “castle view” and, even more helpfully, superior castle views, according to a co-founder, Ben Stewart. They utilized a powerful projector. For audio, Stewart placed a Bluetooth speaker, concealed inside a cereal box, atop a garbage can outside.
The world’s media was assembled, staring at the castle, becoming bored as Trump was delayed. Their film, spread rapidly everywhere. “While the still pictures of Epstein and Trump spread like wildfire online,” Stewart notes, “I doubt that convinces people of anything – it simply makes Trump uncomfortable. Our documentary gives people a social object to share, implying: ‘There’s 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 recognizable Windsor Castle logo. “Projecting onto a cylindrical building requires a little bit of mapping,” Stewart states. “So there’s this royal crest. Officers are thinking: ‘Ah, that’s nice – a royal tribute,’ and then abruptly a massive image of Jeffrey Epstein appears. This electric jolt goes through the police in fluorescent jackets nearby, and the police raced into the hotel.”
A History of Activism
It wasn't the group’s first rodeo; nor was it their first effort targeting Trump. In 2018, during his time with Greenpeace, Stewart had flown a paraglider over the hotel where the then-president was staying in Scotland. The following year, officers warned him that any repeat, they couldn’t guarantee.
The Arrests
However, the activists were not overly concerned about detainment. “My nervous energy is channelled into wanting the protest works,” says Oliver Knowles, a fellow founder. “By the time the police make the intervention, the message is already out.” The police response was swift, reaching the hotel in under three minutes, “really pumped up”, Knowles recalls. “Wearing jumpsuits and caps. They had located the culprits. They charged up the stairs; prepared; tasked to protect the president. Thankfully, no guns. But they were very adrenalised upon entering the room. I had to say: ‘We should keep this really calm.’”
Stalling multiple police officers for six minutes. The fact that they didn’t know which law to make arrests. When they finally entered the room, “a policeman started reading a section 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 subsequently detained for malicious communications, a law related to harassment. “and it’s very specific: its purpose is to deal with a really concerning offence. To throw it at a piece 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. As his colleagues were arrested, he slipped away, then soon after boarded a train leaving Windsor, contacting legal counsel.
A Second Arrest and Questioning
Later that night, while the activists were in the cells at Maidenhead police station, officers came in and re-arrested them, this time for public nuisance, deeming it a stronger charge. When they came to be questioned, the sole available interrogators were from the child protection squad – an irony which was not lost on anyone, given the subject matter of the protest concerned Jeffrey Epstein. Knowles and his associates just answered all queries with: “I have no comment.” A few minutes into the interview, police presented a photo: “They asked, did you take the drawer from this bedside table?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Mr Knowles, 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 large projector, secured to several drawers. At that point, the officers were finding it hard to maintain their composure.”
The Outcome
Just over one month later, every charge were dropped.
