What Happened Next: The Evening Led By Donkeys Beamed Images of Trump and Epstein on to Windsor Castle

When the announcement was made for Donald Trump’s upcoming official trip, including a Windsor Castle banquet on September 17th, 2025, the protest group Led By Donkeys felt compelled not to let it pass without a statement. The gesture of rolling out the red carpet was viewed as especially servile. Their next creative protest unfolded like clockwork.

A Deliberate Message

Activists created a short documentary detailing Donald Trump’s relationship with notorious figure Jeffrey Epstein. Its ending stated: “The president of the United States was a long-time close friend of the nation's most infamous child sex trafficker. His name is said to be referenced, numerous times, in the files related to the criminal probe into that individual … And now that very man, Donald Trump, is sleeping here in Windsor Castle.” (In response, Trump maintains he ended his friendship with Epstein years before Epstein’s initial legal troubles and has consistently denied all allegations in relation to Epstein.)

The Setup

The activists had secured rooms in the adjacent Harte and Garter hotel, which boast “castle view” and, even more helpfully, superior castle views, said a co-founder, Ben Stewart. Their equipment included a high-lumen 32,000-lumen projector. To broadcast sound, Stewart positioned a wireless speaker, concealed within a box of cereal, on top of a garbage can outside.

International press had gathered, their gaze fixed at the castle, growing restless awaiting Trump's arrival. Their film, gained traction everywhere. “Although photographs of Epstein and Trump went viral online,” Stewart says, “I doubt that convinces people of anything – it just makes Trump uneasy. Our documentary provides viewers something tangible to share, implying: ‘This is something really serious to look at here.’ We took an act of activist journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was viewed 20m times.”

The Moment of Projection

The film began with the official Windsor Castle logo. “Projecting onto a cylindrical building requires a little bit of mapping,” Stewart explains. “First appeared this royal crest. Officers likely thought: ‘Ah, that’s nice – 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 all pile into the hotel.”

Not Their First Protest

It wasn't the group’s first rodeo; nor was it their first effort targeting Trump. Back in 2018, while working for Greenpeace, Stewart had flown a paraglider near the resort where the then-president was staying in Scotland. A year later, police visited him that any repeat, his safety wasn't assured.

The Arrests

But, the group's creators were not overly concerned about arrest. “My nervous energy is channelled into wanting the protest works,” says Oliver Knowles, another co-founder. “Once the police arrive, the die is cast.” The police response was rapid, reaching the hotel in under three minutes, “really pumped up”, he remembers. “They were in jumpsuits and caps. They had located some protesters. They came roaring up the stairs; they were briefed; they were on a mission to safeguard the guest. Fortunately, no guns. But they were extremely tense when they entered the room. I had to say: ‘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 charge anyone. When they finally entered the room, “a policeman started reading a clause of the Town and Country Planning Act, which another officer told him to stop as it was incorrect.” Knowles and three other team members were then arrested for malicious communications, a law related to harassment. “and it’s very specific: it’s designed to deal with a serious offence. Applying it to a piece of journalism, projected on to a wall, in defense of the reputation of the president, seemed against the spirit of the legislation,” Stewart remarks pointedly. As his colleagues were arrested, he melted into the crowd, then soon after was on a train leaving Windsor, calling lawyers.

A Second Arrest and Questioning

Later in the middle of the night, as the detainees were in the cells at Maidenhead police station, police re-entered and re-arrested them, now for causing a public nuisance, having decided a stronger charge. During interrogation, the only officers available were from the child protection unit – an irony which was not lost on anyone, given the focus of the protest concerned Jeffrey Epstein. The activists just answered every question with: “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.’ ‘Mr Knowles, do you know anybody else who may have had cause to take the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I anticipated the next move: a picture of a giant projector, secured to several drawers. Then, the officers were finding it hard to keep a straight face.”

The Final Result

A little more than a month later, all charges were dropped.