What Happened Next: The Evening Led By Donkeys Beamed Pictures Featuring Trump and Epstein on to Windsor Castle
When the announcement was made for Donald Trump’s upcoming official trip, 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 without a statement. The act of rolling out the red carpet seemed particularly craven. Their subsequent creative protest proceeded like clockwork.
A Provocative Film
The group produced a short documentary detailing the connections with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. Its ending stated: “The commander-in-chief of the United States is alleged to have been a longstanding associate of America’s most notorious child sex trafficker. He’s alleged to be mentioned, repeatedly, in documents related to the criminal probe into that individual … And now that president, Donald Trump, is sleeping here within Windsor Castle.” (In response, Trump has stated he fell out with Epstein long prior to Epstein’s first arrest and repeatedly refuted any wrongdoing concerning Epstein.)
The Setup
The group had booked rooms in the adjacent Harte and Garter hotel, rooms advertised with views of the castle and, even more helpfully, superior castle views, according to group founder, Ben Stewart. Their equipment included a high-lumen 32,000-lumen projector. For audio, Stewart positioned a Bluetooth speaker, hidden within a box of cereal, on top of a public rubbish bin outside.
International press was assembled, staring at the castle, becoming bored awaiting Trump's arrival. Their film, spread rapidly globally. “While the still pictures of Epstein and Trump went viral online,” Stewart notes, “I’m not sure that convinces people of anything – it just makes Trump uneasy. The film we made gives people something tangible to share, implying: ‘There’s something really serious to examine here.’ We took 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. “Projecting onto a cylindrical building needs some technical calibration,” Stewart explains. “First appeared this royal crest. The police are thinking: ‘Ah, that’s nice – a royal tribute,’ and then abruptly a great big picture of Jeffrey Epstein appears. This electric jolt goes through the officers around me, and the police raced into the hotel.”
Not Their First Protest
This was not their inaugural action; it wasn’t even their first action against Trump. Back in 2018, while working for Greenpeace, Stewart piloted a motorized paraglider over the hotel where the then-president was staying in Scotland. The following year, police visited him that any repeat, his safety wasn't assured.
The Arrests
But, the activists were not overly concerned about detainment. “All my anxiety is channelled into ensuring the action to succeed,” notes Oliver Knowles, a fellow founder. “By the time the police arrive, the message is already out.” The police response was rapid, reaching the hotel within three minutes, “really pumped up”, he remembers. “Wearing tactical gear and caps. They had located the culprits. They charged up the stairs; they were briefed; they were on a mission to protect the president. Fortunately, no firearms. But they were extremely tense upon entering the room. I had to say: ‘Let’s keep this calm.’”
Stalling multiple police officers for six minutes. The fact that they didn’t know under what law to make arrests. Upon finally entering the room, “one officer began reciting a clause 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 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, projected on to a wall, in defense of the reputation of the president, appeared against the spirit of the legislation,” Stewart remarks pointedly. While the others were detained, he slipped away, shortly thereafter boarded a train out of Windsor, contacting legal counsel.
A Second Arrest and Questioning
Later 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 public nuisance, having decided a stronger charge. During interrogation, the sole available interrogators belonged to the child protection squad – an irony that was not lost on anyone, given the subject matter of the protest concerned alleged sex offender. Knowles and his associates responded to all queries with: “I have no comment.” A few minutes into the interview, police presented a photo: “‘Mr Knowles, did you remove the drawer from this bedside table?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Mr Knowles, do you know anyone who may have had reason to remove the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I anticipated the next move: a picture of a giant projector, secured to four drawers. At that point, the officers were finding it hard to keep a straight face.”
The Final Result
Just over one month later, every charge was dismissed.
