The Unfolding Events: The Evening The Activist Group Beamed Pictures Featuring Trump and Epstein on to Windsor Castle
When plans were revealed for Donald Trump’s upcoming official trip, complete with a Windsor Castle banquet on September 17th, 2025, the protest group Led By Donkeys was determined not to let it pass unprotested. The act of rolling out the red carpet was viewed as particularly craven. Their next creative protest proceeded like clockwork.
A Provocative Film
Activists created a short documentary exploring Donald Trump’s relationship with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. It concluded: “The commander-in-chief of the United States was a longstanding associate of the nation's most infamous child sex trafficker. His name is said to be mentioned, repeatedly, in the files related to the investigation into Epstein … Now that president, Donald Trump, is sleeping here within Windsor Castle.” (For his part, Trump has stated he fell out with Epstein long prior to Epstein’s first arrest and repeatedly refuted all allegations concerning Epstein.)
The Setup
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 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 public rubbish bin outside.
International press was assembled, staring at the castle, becoming bored awaiting Trump's arrival. The film, however, spread rapidly globally. “While photographs of Epstein and Trump went viral online,” Stewart says, “I doubt that persuades anyone of anything – it simply makes Trump uncomfortable. Our documentary 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 Reveal
It started with the recognizable Windsor Castle logo. “Projecting onto a cylindrical building requires a little bit of mapping,” Stewart states. “So there’s this royal crest. The police likely thought: ‘How pleasant – a royal tribute,’ and suddenly a great big picture of Jeffrey Epstein materializes. This electric jolt passed through the officers nearby, 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. In 2018, during his time with Greenpeace, Stewart had flown a paraglider near the resort where the president was staying during a visit to Turnberry. A year later, officers warned him that if he tried again, his safety wasn't assured.
Confrontation with Police
But, the group's creators were not overly concerned about arrest. “All my anxiety is channelled into wanting the action to succeed,” says Oliver Knowles, a fellow founder. “Once the police arrive, the message is already out.” Officers was rapid, reaching the hotel in under three minutes, “really pumped up”, he remembers. “Wearing tactical gear and caps. They’d finally found some protesters. They charged up the stairs; they were briefed; they were on a mission to safeguard the guest. Thankfully, no firearms. But they were very adrenalised upon entering the room. I told them: ‘Let’s keep this calm.’”
Stalling multiple police officers is a long time. The fact that officers didn’t know under what law to charge anyone. Upon finally entering the room, “one officer began reciting a section of the Town and Country Planning Act, before another told him to stop because it wasn’t right.” Knowles and three additional activists were subsequently detained for malicious communication, a stalking law. “and it’s very specific: it’s designed to address a really concerning offence. To throw it at a piece of journalism, projected on to a wall, to protect the reputation of the president, appeared contrary to the intent of the legislation,” Stewart says archly. While the others were detained, he melted into the crowd, shortly thereafter boarded a train out of Windsor, calling lawyers.
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 arrested them again, this time for causing a public nuisance, having decided more likely to succeed. When they came to be questioned, the only officers available were from the child protection unit – a twist which was not lost on anyone, given the focus of the protest concerned alleged sex offender. Knowles and his associates just answered all queries with: “No comment.” Shortly after starting the interview, police presented a photograph: “‘Mr Knowles, did you remove the drawer from this nightstand?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Sir, do you know anyone who may have had cause to take the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I anticipated the next move: a picture of a giant projector, ratchet-strapped to four drawers. Then, the officers were finding it hard to maintain their composure.”
The Outcome
Just over one month later, all charges were dropped.
