🔗 Share this article The Aftermath: The Evening Led By Donkeys Beamed Images of Trump and Epstein onto Windsor Castle When the announcement was made for the former president's second state visit, complete with a royal dinner at Windsor on September 17th, 2025, the activist collective known as Led By Donkeys was determined to ensure it did not go unprotested. The gesture of offering a lavish welcome was viewed as particularly craven. Their next creative protest proceeded like clockwork. A Deliberate Message The group produced a short documentary detailing 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 child sex trafficker. He’s alleged to be referenced, repeatedly, in documents related to the investigation into that individual … Now that very man, Donald Trump, is a guest within Windsor Castle.” (For his part, Trump maintains he ended his friendship with Epstein long prior to Epstein’s initial legal troubles and has consistently denied all allegations in relation to Epstein.) Preparations and Execution The activists had secured rooms in the adjacent Harte and Garter hotel, which boast views of the castle and, more crucially, “castle view superior”, according to a co-founder, Ben Stewart. They utilized a powerful projector. For audio, Stewart placed a wireless speaker, concealed inside a cereal box, on top of a public rubbish bin outside. International press was assembled, their gaze fixed at the castle, becoming bored as Trump was delayed. Their film, gained traction globally. “Although the still pictures of Epstein and Trump went viral online,” Stewart notes, “I’m not sure that persuades anyone of anything – it simply makes Trump uneasy. The film we made gives people a social object to share, saying: ‘There’s something significant to examine here.’ We took a piece of guerrilla journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was seen by millions.” The Reveal It started with the recognizable Windsor Castle logo. “Projecting onto the castle's round tower needs a little bit of mapping,” Stewart states. “So there’s the royal coat of arms. The police likely thought: ‘How pleasant – a royal tribute,’ and then abruptly a great big picture of Jeffrey Epstein appears. A wave of shock goes through the officers nearby, and the police all pile into the hotel.” Not Their First Protest It wasn't their inaugural action; nor was it their first action targeting Trump. In 2018, while working for Greenpeace, Stewart piloted a paraglider over the hotel where the president was staying during a visit to Turnberry. The following year, police visited him that any repeat, they couldn’t guarantee. Confrontation with Police However, the group's creators weren't especially worried about arrest. “My nervous energy is channelled into wanting the protest works,” notes Oliver Knowles, a fellow founder. “Once 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. “They were in jumpsuits and caps. They’d finally found the culprits. They charged up the stairs; prepared; they were on a mission to safeguard the guest. Thankfully, no guns. But they were very adrenalised upon entering the room. I told them: ‘Let’s keep this really calm.’” Delaying multiple police officers is a long time. The fact that officers didn’t know which law to make arrests. When they finally entered the room, “one officer started reading a section of the Town and Country Planning Act, which another officer told him to stop because it wasn’t right.” Knowles and three additional team members were subsequently detained for malicious communication, a stalking law. “The law is precise: its purpose is to deal with a serious offence. To throw it at a piece of journalism, displayed on a wall, to protect the reputation of the president, appeared against the spirit of the legislation,” Stewart says archly. As his colleagues were arrested, he slipped away, 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, officers came in and arrested them again, this time for causing a public nuisance, deeming it more likely to succeed. During interrogation, the sole available interrogators belonged to the child protection unit – an irony which was not lost on anyone, given the subject matter of the protest involved Jeffrey Epstein. Knowles and his associates just answered every question with: “I have no comment.” A few minutes into the interview, police presented a photo: “They asked, 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 what was coming: an image of a giant projector, ratchet-strapped to several drawers. Then, the officers struggled to maintain their composure.” The Outcome A little more than a month later, every charge were dropped.
When the announcement was made for the former president's second state visit, complete with a royal dinner at Windsor on September 17th, 2025, the activist collective known as Led By Donkeys was determined to ensure it did not go unprotested. The gesture of offering a lavish welcome was viewed as particularly craven. Their next creative protest proceeded like clockwork. A Deliberate Message The group produced a short documentary detailing 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 child sex trafficker. He’s alleged to be referenced, repeatedly, in documents related to the investigation into that individual … Now that very man, Donald Trump, is a guest within Windsor Castle.” (For his part, Trump maintains he ended his friendship with Epstein long prior to Epstein’s initial legal troubles and has consistently denied all allegations in relation to Epstein.) Preparations and Execution The activists had secured rooms in the adjacent Harte and Garter hotel, which boast views of the castle and, more crucially, “castle view superior”, according to a co-founder, Ben Stewart. They utilized a powerful projector. For audio, Stewart placed a wireless speaker, concealed inside a cereal box, on top of a public rubbish bin outside. International press was assembled, their gaze fixed at the castle, becoming bored as Trump was delayed. Their film, gained traction globally. “Although the still pictures of Epstein and Trump went viral online,” Stewart notes, “I’m not sure that persuades anyone of anything – it simply makes Trump uneasy. The film we made gives people a social object to share, saying: ‘There’s something significant to examine here.’ We took a piece of guerrilla journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was seen by millions.” The Reveal It started with the recognizable Windsor Castle logo. “Projecting onto the castle's round tower needs a little bit of mapping,” Stewart states. “So there’s the royal coat of arms. The police likely thought: ‘How pleasant – a royal tribute,’ and then abruptly a great big picture of Jeffrey Epstein appears. A wave of shock goes through the officers nearby, and the police all pile into the hotel.” Not Their First Protest It wasn't their inaugural action; nor was it their first action targeting Trump. In 2018, while working for Greenpeace, Stewart piloted a paraglider over the hotel where the president was staying during a visit to Turnberry. The following year, police visited him that any repeat, they couldn’t guarantee. Confrontation with Police However, the group's creators weren't especially worried about arrest. “My nervous energy is channelled into wanting the protest works,” notes Oliver Knowles, a fellow founder. “Once 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. “They were in jumpsuits and caps. They’d finally found the culprits. They charged up the stairs; prepared; they were on a mission to safeguard the guest. Thankfully, no guns. But they were very adrenalised upon entering the room. I told them: ‘Let’s keep this really calm.’” Delaying multiple police officers is a long time. The fact that officers didn’t know which law to make arrests. When they finally entered the room, “one officer started reading a section of the Town and Country Planning Act, which another officer told him to stop because it wasn’t right.” Knowles and three additional team members were subsequently detained for malicious communication, a stalking law. “The law is precise: its purpose is to deal with a serious offence. To throw it at a piece of journalism, displayed on a wall, to protect the reputation of the president, appeared against the spirit of the legislation,” Stewart says archly. As his colleagues were arrested, he slipped away, 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, officers came in and arrested them again, this time for causing a public nuisance, deeming it more likely to succeed. During interrogation, the sole available interrogators belonged to the child protection unit – an irony which was not lost on anyone, given the subject matter of the protest involved Jeffrey Epstein. Knowles and his associates just answered every question with: “I have no comment.” A few minutes into the interview, police presented a photo: “They asked, 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 what was coming: an image of a giant projector, ratchet-strapped to several drawers. Then, the officers struggled to maintain their composure.” The Outcome A little more than a month later, every charge were dropped.