The Unfolding Events: The Evening The Activist Group Projected Images of Trump and Epstein on to Windsor Castle
When plans were revealed for Donald Trump’s upcoming official trip, complete with a royal dinner at Windsor on September 17th, 2025, the activist collective Led By Donkeys felt compelled to ensure it did not go unprotested. The act of rolling out the red carpet was viewed as especially servile. Their next creative protest proceeded with precision.
A Deliberate Message
Activists created a short documentary exploring 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 America’s most notorious sex offender. His name is said to be mentioned, repeatedly, in documents 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 initial legal troubles and repeatedly refuted all allegations concerning Epstein.)
Preparations and Execution
The activists had secured rooms in the nearby Harte and Garter hotel, rooms advertised with “castle view” and, more crucially, superior castle views, said a co-founder, Ben Stewart. They utilized a high-lumen 32,000-lumen projector. For audio, Stewart positioned a wireless speaker, hidden within a box of cereal, on top of a garbage can outside.
The world’s media had gathered, their gaze fixed at the castle, growing restless awaiting Trump's arrival. The film, however, gained traction globally. “Although photographs of Epstein and Trump went viral online,” Stewart says, “I doubt that persuades anyone of anything – it simply makes Trump uncomfortable. The film we made gives people something tangible to share, saying: ‘There’s something significant to look at here.’ It was a piece of guerrilla journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was viewed by millions.”
The Reveal
The film began with the recognizable Windsor Castle logo. “It requires the castle's round tower requires a little bit of mapping,” Stewart states. “First appeared the royal coat of arms. Officers are thinking: ‘Ah, that’s nice – a royal tribute,’ and suddenly a great big picture of Jeffrey Epstein appears. This electric jolt goes through the police in fluorescent jackets around me, and the police raced into the hotel.”
A History of Activism
It wasn't their inaugural action; nor was it their first action targeting Trump. Back in 2018, during his time with Greenpeace, Stewart had flown a paraglider over the hotel where the then-president was staying in Scotland. A year later, officers warned him that any repeat, his safety wasn't assured.
The Arrests
However, the group's creators were not especially worried about detainment. “My nervous energy goes into wanting the protest works,” notes Oliver Knowles, a fellow founder. “By the time the police make the intervention, the die is cast.” Officers was swift, arriving in the lobby in under three minutes, highly agitated, he remembers. “They were in tactical gear and caps. They had located some protesters. They charged up the stairs; prepared; they were on a mission to safeguard the guest. Thankfully, no firearms. But they were extremely tense upon entering the room. I told them: ‘Let’s keep this really calm.’”
Delaying a large number of police officers is a long time. It helped that officers didn’t know under what law to charge anyone. When they finally entered the room, “one officer started reading 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 activists were then arrested for malicious communication, a law related to harassment. “and it’s very specific: its purpose is to deal with a serious offence. Applying it to a piece of journalism, projected on to a wall, to protect the reputation of the president, seemed against the spirit of the legislation,” Stewart remarks pointedly. While the others were detained, he slipped away, then soon after was on a train leaving Windsor, calling lawyers.
An Ironic Interrogation
Later in the middle of the night, while the activists were in the 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 belonged to the child protection squad – an irony which was palpable, given the focus of the protest concerned Jeffrey Epstein. Knowles and his associates just answered all queries with: “No comment.” A few minutes into the interview, the officers slid over a photograph: “‘Mr Knowles, did you remove the drawer from this nightstand?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Mr Knowles, do you know anyone who may have had reason to remove the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I anticipated the next move: an image of a large projector, secured to several drawers. Then, the officers were finding it hard to keep a straight face.”
The Final Result
A little more than one month later, all charges was dismissed.
