The Unfolding Events: The Night The Activist Group Beamed Pictures Featuring Trump and Epstein onto Windsor Castle
When plans were revealed for Donald Trump’s second state visit, including a royal dinner at Windsor on September 17th, 2025, the activist collective known as Led By Donkeys was determined not to let it pass unprotested. The act of rolling out the red carpet seemed particularly craven. Their next art-activist event proceeded like clockwork.
A Deliberate Message
Activists created a nine-minute film detailing the connections with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. It concluded: “The commander-in-chief of the United States is alleged to have been a long-time close friend of the nation's most infamous sex offender. His name is said to be referenced, repeatedly, in the files related to the investigation into Epstein … Now that very man, Donald Trump, is a guest in Windsor Castle.” (For his part, Trump has stated he ended his friendship with Epstein long prior to Epstein’s initial legal troubles and repeatedly refuted all allegations in relation to Epstein.)
The Setup
The group had booked rooms in the nearby Harte and Garter hotel, rooms advertised with views of the castle and, more crucially, “castle view superior”, according to group founder, Ben Stewart. Their equipment included a powerful projector. For audio, Stewart positioned a wireless speaker, hidden inside a cereal box, on top of a public rubbish bin outside.
The world’s media was assembled, staring at the castle, growing restless awaiting Trump's arrival. Their film, gained traction globally. “Although photographs of Epstein and Trump went viral online,” Stewart notes, “I doubt that persuades anyone of anything – it just makes Trump uncomfortable. Our documentary provides viewers a social object to share, saying: ‘This is something really serious to examine here.’ It was an act of activist journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was seen by millions.”
The Moment of Projection
The film began with the recognizable Windsor Castle logo. “It requires a cylindrical building requires a little bit of mapping,” Stewart explains. “So there’s the royal coat of arms. Officers likely thought: ‘Ah, that’s nice – a royal tribute,’ and then abruptly a great big picture of Jeffrey Epstein appears. This electric jolt goes through the police in fluorescent jackets nearby, and the police all pile into the hotel.”
Not Their First Protest
It wasn't the group’s first rodeo; nor was it their first action against Trump. In 2018, while working for Greenpeace, Stewart piloted a motorized paraglider near the hotel where the president was staying during a visit to Turnberry. A year later, officers warned him that if he tried again, his safety wasn't assured.
The Arrests
However, the activists weren't overly concerned about arrest. “My nervous energy goes into wanting the protest works,” notes Oliver Knowles, another co-founder. “Once the police arrive, the die is cast.” The police response was rapid, arriving in the lobby within three minutes, highly agitated, Knowles recalls. “They were in tactical gear and caps. They’d finally found the culprits. They came roaring up the stairs; prepared; they were on a mission to protect the president. Fortunately, no guns. But they were extremely tense upon entering the room. I told them: ‘We should keep this calm.’”
Delaying multiple police officers for six minutes. The fact that they were unsure which law to charge anyone. When they finally entered the room, “a policeman began reciting a clause of the Town and Country Planning Act, which another officer asked him to stop because it wasn’t right.” Knowles and three other team members were subsequently detained for malicious communications, a stalking law. “and it’s very specific: it’s designed to address a serious offence. Applying it to an act of journalism, projected on to a wall, in defense of the reputation of the president, appeared contrary to the intent 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.
A Second Arrest and Questioning
Some time that night, while the activists sat in cells at Maidenhead police station, officers came in and re-arrested them, now for public nuisance, having decided a stronger charge. During interrogation, 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 alleged sex offender. The activists responded to all queries with: “I have no comment.” A few minutes into the interview, police presented a photo: “They asked, did you remove the drawer from this nightstand?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Mr Knowles, do you know anyone who may have had cause to take the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I anticipated the next move: a picture of a large projector, secured to four drawers. Then, the officers struggled to keep a straight face.”
The Outcome
A little more than one month later, all charges was dismissed.
