🔗 Share this article The Unfolding Events: The Night The Activist Group Projected Images of Trump and Epstein on to Windsor Castle When plans were revealed for Donald Trump’s second state visit, complete with a Windsor Castle banquet on 17 September 2025, the activist collective Led By Donkeys felt compelled not to let it pass unprotested. The act of rolling out the red carpet seemed especially servile. Their subsequent creative protest unfolded like clockwork. 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 America’s most notorious child sex trafficker. He’s alleged to be referenced, repeatedly, in the files related to the criminal probe into Epstein … And now that very man, Donald Trump, is a guest in Windsor Castle.” (For his part, Trump has stated he ended his friendship with Epstein years before Epstein’s first arrest and repeatedly refuted all allegations concerning Epstein.) The Setup The activists had booked rooms in the nearby Harte and Garter hotel, rooms advertised with “castle view” and, more crucially, “castle view superior”, according to a co-founder, Ben Stewart. They utilized a powerful projector. For audio, Stewart placed a Bluetooth speaker, hidden inside a cereal box, atop a public rubbish bin outside. International press had gathered, staring at the castle, growing restless awaiting Trump's arrival. The film, however, gained traction everywhere. “While photographs of Epstein and Trump went viral online,” Stewart notes, “I’m not sure that persuades anyone of anything – it simply makes Trump uncomfortable. Our documentary provides viewers something tangible to share, saying: ‘There’s something significant to examine here.’ We took an act of activist journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was viewed by millions.” The Moment of Projection It started with the official Windsor Castle logo. “It requires a cylindrical building requires some technical calibration,” Stewart states. “First appeared this royal crest. Officers are thinking: ‘How pleasant – the royal family,’ and then abruptly a great big picture of Jeffrey Epstein appears. A wave of shock goes through the officers nearby, and they all pile into the hotel.” Not Their First Protest It wasn't the group’s first rodeo; it wasn’t even their first action against Trump. Back in 2018, while working for Greenpeace, Stewart had flown a motorized paraglider near the resort where the then-president was staying in Scotland. The following year, police visited him that any repeat, his safety wasn't assured. The Arrests However, the group's creators weren't especially worried about arrest. “My nervous energy goes into wanting the action to succeed,” says Oliver Knowles, a fellow founder. “Once the police make the intervention, the die is cast.” Officers was rapid, reaching the hotel in under 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; they were on a mission to protect the president. Fortunately, no guns. But they were very adrenalised when they entered the room. I told them: ‘We should keep this calm.’” Stalling multiple police officers for six minutes. The fact that they didn’t know which law to charge anyone. Upon finally entering the room, “a policeman began reciting a section of the Town and Country Planning Act, before another told him to stop because it wasn’t right.” Knowles and three other activists were then arrested for malicious communications, a law related to harassment. “and it’s very specific: it’s designed to deal with a really concerning offence. Applying it to a piece of journalism, displayed on a wall, in defense of the reputation of the president, seemed against the spirit of the legislation,” Stewart says archly. While the others were detained, he melted into the crowd, shortly thereafter boarded a train leaving Windsor, contacting legal counsel. An Ironic Interrogation Some time in the middle of the night, as the detainees were in the cells at Maidenhead police station, police re-entered and arrested them again, now for causing a public nuisance, deeming it a stronger charge. When they came to be questioned, the sole available interrogators were from the child protection unit – an irony which was not lost on anyone, given the focus of the protest involved Jeffrey Epstein. Knowles and his associates responded to all queries with: “I have no comment.” A few minutes into the interview, the officers slid over a photo: “‘Mr Knowles, did you remove the drawer from this bedside table?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Mr Knowles, do you know anybody else who may have had reason to remove the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I anticipated the next move: a picture of a giant projector, ratchet-strapped to several drawers. Then, the detectives struggled to keep a straight face.” The Final Result A little more than a month later, every charge was dismissed.
When plans were revealed for Donald Trump’s second state visit, complete with a Windsor Castle banquet on 17 September 2025, the activist collective Led By Donkeys felt compelled not to let it pass unprotested. The act of rolling out the red carpet seemed especially servile. Their subsequent creative protest unfolded like clockwork. 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 America’s most notorious child sex trafficker. He’s alleged to be referenced, repeatedly, in the files related to the criminal probe into Epstein … And now that very man, Donald Trump, is a guest in Windsor Castle.” (For his part, Trump has stated he ended his friendship with Epstein years before Epstein’s first arrest and repeatedly refuted all allegations concerning Epstein.) The Setup The activists had booked rooms in the nearby Harte and Garter hotel, rooms advertised with “castle view” and, more crucially, “castle view superior”, according to a co-founder, Ben Stewart. They utilized a powerful projector. For audio, Stewart placed a Bluetooth speaker, hidden inside a cereal box, atop a public rubbish bin outside. International press had gathered, staring at the castle, growing restless awaiting Trump's arrival. The film, however, gained traction everywhere. “While photographs of Epstein and Trump went viral online,” Stewart notes, “I’m not sure that persuades anyone of anything – it simply makes Trump uncomfortable. Our documentary provides viewers something tangible to share, saying: ‘There’s something significant to examine here.’ We took an act of activist journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was viewed by millions.” The Moment of Projection It started with the official Windsor Castle logo. “It requires a cylindrical building requires some technical calibration,” Stewart states. “First appeared this royal crest. Officers are thinking: ‘How pleasant – the royal family,’ and then abruptly a great big picture of Jeffrey Epstein appears. A wave of shock goes through the officers nearby, and they all pile into the hotel.” Not Their First Protest It wasn't the group’s first rodeo; it wasn’t even their first action against Trump. Back in 2018, while working for Greenpeace, Stewart had flown a motorized paraglider near the resort where the then-president was staying in Scotland. The following year, police visited him that any repeat, his safety wasn't assured. The Arrests However, the group's creators weren't especially worried about arrest. “My nervous energy goes into wanting the action to succeed,” says Oliver Knowles, a fellow founder. “Once the police make the intervention, the die is cast.” Officers was rapid, reaching the hotel in under 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; they were on a mission to protect the president. Fortunately, no guns. But they were very adrenalised when they entered the room. I told them: ‘We should keep this calm.’” Stalling multiple police officers for six minutes. The fact that they didn’t know which law to charge anyone. Upon finally entering the room, “a policeman began reciting a section of the Town and Country Planning Act, before another told him to stop because it wasn’t right.” Knowles and three other activists were then arrested for malicious communications, a law related to harassment. “and it’s very specific: it’s designed to deal with a really concerning offence. Applying it to a piece of journalism, displayed on a wall, in defense of the reputation of the president, seemed against the spirit of the legislation,” Stewart says archly. While the others were detained, he melted into the crowd, shortly thereafter boarded a train leaving Windsor, contacting legal counsel. An Ironic Interrogation Some time in the middle of the night, as the detainees were in the cells at Maidenhead police station, police re-entered and arrested them again, now for causing a public nuisance, deeming it a stronger charge. When they came to be questioned, the sole available interrogators were from the child protection unit – an irony which was not lost on anyone, given the focus of the protest involved Jeffrey Epstein. Knowles and his associates responded to all queries with: “I have no comment.” A few minutes into the interview, the officers slid over a photo: “‘Mr Knowles, did you remove the drawer from this bedside table?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Mr Knowles, do you know anybody else who may have had reason to remove the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I anticipated the next move: a picture of a giant projector, ratchet-strapped to several drawers. Then, the detectives struggled to keep a straight face.” The Final Result A little more than a month later, every charge was dismissed.