🔗 Share this article 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 second state visit, including a Windsor Castle banquet on September 17th, 2025, the activist collective Led By Donkeys felt compelled to ensure it did not go without a statement. The act of rolling out the red carpet seemed particularly craven. Their subsequent creative protest proceeded with precision. A Deliberate Message The group produced a short documentary detailing Donald Trump’s relationship with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. It concluded: “The commander-in-chief of the United States was a longstanding associate of the nation's most infamous child sex trafficker. He’s alleged to be referenced, numerous times, in the files related to the investigation into that individual … Now that very man, Donald Trump, is sleeping here in 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.) Preparations and Execution The activists had booked rooms in the adjacent Harte and Garter hotel, which boast “castle view” and, even more helpfully, superior castle views, according to group founder, Ben Stewart. They utilized a high-lumen projector. For audio, Stewart positioned a Bluetooth speaker, concealed within a box of cereal, atop a garbage can outside. International press was assembled, staring at the castle, growing restless as Trump was delayed. The film, however, gained traction everywhere. “While the still pictures of Epstein and Trump spread like wildfire online,” Stewart notes, “I’m not sure that convinces people of anything – it just makes Trump uneasy. Our documentary provides viewers 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 20m times.” The Reveal It started with the official Windsor Castle logo. “It requires a cylindrical building needs some technical calibration,” Stewart explains. “First appeared the royal coat of arms. Officers are thinking: ‘How pleasant – the royal family,’ and then abruptly a massive image of Jeffrey Epstein appears. This electric jolt goes through the police in fluorescent jackets around me, and they all pile into the hotel.” A History of Activism 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 then-president was staying in Scotland. The following year, officers warned him that if he tried again, his safety wasn't assured. Confrontation with Police But, the activists were not especially worried about arrest. “All my anxiety is channelled into wanting the protest works,” notes Oliver Knowles, another co-founder. “Once the police arrive, the message is already out.” Officers was rapid, arriving in the lobby within three minutes, highly agitated, he remembers. “They were in jumpsuits and baseball caps. They had located some protesters. They came roaring up the stairs; they were briefed; they were on a mission to protect the president. Fortunately, no firearms. But they were very adrenalised upon entering the room. I told them: ‘Let’s keep this really calm.’” Stalling a large number of police officers for six minutes. The fact that officers didn’t know which law to charge anyone. Upon finally entering the room, “a policeman started reading a clause of the Town and Country Planning Act, before another asked him to stop as it was incorrect.” Knowles and three other team members were subsequently detained for malicious communication, a stalking law. “The law is precise: its purpose is to deal with a serious offence. Applying it to a piece of journalism, displayed on 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 melted into the crowd, shortly thereafter was on a train leaving Windsor, calling lawyers. An Ironic Interrogation Some time in the middle of the night, as the detainees sat in cells at Maidenhead police station, police re-entered and re-arrested them, now for causing a public nuisance, deeming it more likely to succeed. When they came to be questioned, the only officers available belonged to the child protection squad – a twist which was palpable, given the subject matter of the protest concerned Jeffrey Epstein. Knowles and his associates responded to every question with: “No comment.” Shortly after starting the interview, the officers slid over a photograph: “‘Mr Knowles, did you take the drawer from this bedside table?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Sir, do you know anybody else who may have had reason to remove the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I knew the next move: a picture of a giant projector, ratchet-strapped to four drawers. At that point, the detectives struggled to keep a straight face.” The Outcome Just over one month later, every charge was dismissed.
When plans were revealed for Donald Trump’s second state visit, including a Windsor Castle banquet on September 17th, 2025, the activist collective Led By Donkeys felt compelled to ensure it did not go without a statement. The act of rolling out the red carpet seemed particularly craven. Their subsequent creative protest proceeded with precision. A Deliberate Message The group produced a short documentary detailing Donald Trump’s relationship with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. It concluded: “The commander-in-chief of the United States was a longstanding associate of the nation's most infamous child sex trafficker. He’s alleged to be referenced, numerous times, in the files related to the investigation into that individual … Now that very man, Donald Trump, is sleeping here in 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.) Preparations and Execution The activists had booked rooms in the adjacent Harte and Garter hotel, which boast “castle view” and, even more helpfully, superior castle views, according to group founder, Ben Stewart. They utilized a high-lumen projector. For audio, Stewart positioned a Bluetooth speaker, concealed within a box of cereal, atop a garbage can outside. International press was assembled, staring at the castle, growing restless as Trump was delayed. The film, however, gained traction everywhere. “While the still pictures of Epstein and Trump spread like wildfire online,” Stewart notes, “I’m not sure that convinces people of anything – it just makes Trump uneasy. Our documentary provides viewers 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 20m times.” The Reveal It started with the official Windsor Castle logo. “It requires a cylindrical building needs some technical calibration,” Stewart explains. “First appeared the royal coat of arms. Officers are thinking: ‘How pleasant – the royal family,’ and then abruptly a massive image of Jeffrey Epstein appears. This electric jolt goes through the police in fluorescent jackets around me, and they all pile into the hotel.” A History of Activism 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 then-president was staying in Scotland. The following year, officers warned him that if he tried again, his safety wasn't assured. Confrontation with Police But, the activists were not especially worried about arrest. “All my anxiety is channelled into wanting the protest works,” notes Oliver Knowles, another co-founder. “Once the police arrive, the message is already out.” Officers was rapid, arriving in the lobby within three minutes, highly agitated, he remembers. “They were in jumpsuits and baseball caps. They had located some protesters. They came roaring up the stairs; they were briefed; they were on a mission to protect the president. Fortunately, no firearms. But they were very adrenalised upon entering the room. I told them: ‘Let’s keep this really calm.’” Stalling a large number of police officers for six minutes. The fact that officers didn’t know which law to charge anyone. Upon finally entering the room, “a policeman started reading a clause of the Town and Country Planning Act, before another asked him to stop as it was incorrect.” Knowles and three other team members were subsequently detained for malicious communication, a stalking law. “The law is precise: its purpose is to deal with a serious offence. Applying it to a piece of journalism, displayed on 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 melted into the crowd, shortly thereafter was on a train leaving Windsor, calling lawyers. An Ironic Interrogation Some time in the middle of the night, as the detainees sat in cells at Maidenhead police station, police re-entered and re-arrested them, now for causing a public nuisance, deeming it more likely to succeed. When they came to be questioned, the only officers available belonged to the child protection squad – a twist which was palpable, given the subject matter of the protest concerned Jeffrey Epstein. Knowles and his associates responded to every question with: “No comment.” Shortly after starting the interview, the officers slid over a photograph: “‘Mr Knowles, did you take the drawer from this bedside table?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Sir, do you know anybody else who may have had reason to remove the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I knew the next move: a picture of a giant projector, ratchet-strapped to four drawers. At that point, the detectives struggled to keep a straight face.” The Outcome Just over one month later, every charge was dismissed.