What Happened Next: The Night Led By Donkeys Beamed Images of 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 known as Led By Donkeys was determined to ensure it did not go without a statement. The gesture of offering a lavish welcome was viewed as especially servile. Their next creative protest unfolded like clockwork.
A Deliberate Message
The group produced a short documentary detailing Donald Trump’s relationship with notorious figure Jeffrey Epstein. Its ending stated: “The president of the United States was a longstanding associate of America’s most notorious child sex trafficker. He’s alleged to be mentioned, numerous times, in documents from the criminal probe into that individual … And now that very man, Donald Trump, is sleeping here within Windsor Castle.” (In response, Trump maintains he fell out with Epstein long prior to Epstein’s initial legal troubles and has consistently denied any wrongdoing concerning Epstein.)
Preparations and Execution
The group had secured rooms in the nearby Harte and Garter hotel, rooms advertised with “castle view” and, even more helpfully, “castle view superior”, according to group founder, Ben Stewart. Their equipment included a powerful 32,000-lumen projector. For audio, Stewart positioned a Bluetooth speaker, concealed inside a cereal box, on top of a public rubbish bin outside.
The world’s media had gathered, staring at the castle, becoming bored as Trump was delayed. Their film, gained traction everywhere. “Although the still pictures of Epstein and Trump went viral online,” Stewart says, “I doubt that convinces people of anything – it simply makes Trump uncomfortable. The film we made provides viewers something tangible to share, implying: ‘There’s something really serious to look at here.’ We took a piece of guerrilla journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was viewed 20m times.”
The Moment of Projection
It started with the recognizable Windsor Castle logo. “Projecting onto the castle's round tower needs some technical calibration,” Stewart states. “So there’s this royal crest. Officers likely thought: ‘How pleasant – a royal tribute,’ and then abruptly a great big picture of Jeffrey Epstein materializes. A wave of shock passed through the police in fluorescent jackets nearby, and they all pile into the hotel.”
Not Their First Protest
This was not their inaugural action; it wasn’t even their first effort targeting Trump. In 2018, while working for Greenpeace, Stewart piloted a paraglider near the resort where the president was staying during a visit to Turnberry. A year later, police visited him that if he tried again, his safety wasn't assured.
Confrontation with Police
But, the group's creators weren't especially worried about detainment. “My nervous energy goes into ensuring the protest works,” says Oliver Knowles, another co-founder. “By the time the police make the intervention, the die is cast.” The police response was swift, arriving in the lobby in under three minutes, “really pumped up”, Knowles recalls. “Wearing tactical gear and baseball caps. They’d finally found the culprits. They charged up the stairs; they were briefed; tasked to safeguard the guest. Fortunately, no firearms. But they were extremely tense upon entering the room. I had to say: ‘Let’s keep this calm.’”
Stalling a large number of police officers is a long time. It helped that officers didn’t know under what 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 asked him to stop because it wasn’t right.” Knowles and three additional team members were then arrested for malicious communications, a stalking law. “The law is precise: it’s designed to address a serious offence. To throw it at an act 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 melted into the crowd, then soon after boarded a train out of Windsor, contacting legal counsel.
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, this time for causing a public nuisance, having decided more likely to succeed. During interrogation, the only officers available were from the child protection squad – an irony that was palpable, given the subject matter of the protest involved alleged sex offender. The activists just answered all queries with: “No comment.” Shortly after starting the interview, police presented a photo: “They asked, did you take the drawer from this nightstand?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Sir, 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 large projector, secured to several drawers. Then, the officers were finding it hard to keep a straight face.”
The Outcome
A little more than one month later, all charges were dropped.
