The Aftermath: The Evening The Activist Group Beamed Pictures Featuring Trump and Epstein on to Windsor Castle
When the announcement was made for Donald Trump’s upcoming official trip, complete with a Windsor Castle banquet on 17 September 2025, the activist collective Led By Donkeys was determined not to let it pass without a statement. The gesture of offering a lavish welcome seemed particularly craven. Their next art-activist event proceeded with precision.
A Deliberate Message
The group produced a nine-minute film detailing Donald Trump’s relationship with notorious figure Jeffrey Epstein. It concluded: “The commander-in-chief of the United States was a longstanding associate of the nation's most infamous sex offender. His name is said to be referenced, numerous times, in the files related to the criminal probe into Epstein … And now that president, Donald Trump, is a guest within Windsor Castle.” (For his part, Trump maintains he fell out with Epstein long prior to Epstein’s initial legal troubles and has consistently denied any wrongdoing concerning Epstein.)
The Setup
The activists had secured rooms in the adjacent Harte and Garter hotel, which boast “castle view” and, even more helpfully, “castle view superior”, according to group founder, Ben Stewart. Their equipment included a high-lumen 32,000-lumen projector. For audio, Stewart positioned a wireless speaker, hidden within a box of cereal, on top of a public rubbish bin outside.
The world’s media had gathered, their gaze fixed at the castle, becoming bored awaiting Trump's arrival. Their film, spread rapidly everywhere. “Although photographs of Epstein and Trump went viral online,” Stewart notes, “I doubt that convinces people of anything – it just makes Trump uneasy. Our documentary provides viewers a social object to share, implying: ‘This is something really serious to look at here.’ It was a piece of guerrilla journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was viewed by millions.”
The Moment of Projection
The film began with the official Windsor Castle logo. “It requires a cylindrical building requires some technical calibration,” Stewart explains. “First appeared this royal crest. The police are thinking: ‘How pleasant – a royal tribute,’ and then abruptly a massive image of Jeffrey Epstein appears. A wave of shock goes through the police in fluorescent jackets around me, and the police raced into the hotel.”
Not Their First Protest
It wasn't the group’s first rodeo; nor was it their first effort targeting Trump. In 2018, while working for Greenpeace, Stewart piloted a motorized paraglider over the hotel where the then-president was staying in Scotland. The following year, officers warned him that if he tried again, his safety wasn't assured.
The Arrests
However, the group's creators were not especially worried about detainment. “All my anxiety goes into ensuring the protest works,” notes Oliver Knowles, another co-founder. “By the time the police arrive, 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 had located the culprits. They came roaring up the stairs; prepared; tasked to protect the president. Thankfully, no firearms. But they were extremely tense upon entering the room. I told them: ‘We should keep this really calm.’”
Delaying multiple police officers is a long time. The fact that officers didn’t know under what law to make arrests. When they finally entered the room, “a policeman began reciting a section of the Town and Country Planning Act, which another officer told him to stop as it was incorrect.” Knowles and three additional activists were then arrested for malicious communications, a stalking law. “and it’s very specific: it’s designed to deal with a really concerning offence. To throw it at a piece of journalism, projected on to a wall, to protect the reputation of the president, appeared contrary to the intent of the legislation,” Stewart remarks pointedly. As his colleagues were arrested, he melted into the crowd, then soon after boarded a train out of 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 arrested them again, now for public nuisance, having decided more likely to succeed. When they came to be questioned, the only officers available were from the child protection unit – an irony which was palpable, given the focus of the protest concerned alleged sex offender. The activists just answered every question with: “I have no comment.” Shortly after starting the interview, police presented a photo: “‘Mr Knowles, did you take 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 what was coming: a picture of a large projector, secured to four drawers. Then, the detectives struggled to maintain their composure.”
The Final Result
Just over one month later, all charges was dismissed.