What Happened Next: The Night Led By Donkeys Beamed Pictures Featuring Trump and Epstein onto Windsor Castle
When plans were revealed for the former president's upcoming official trip, complete with a royal dinner at Windsor on September 17th, 2025, the activist collective known as Led By Donkeys felt compelled to ensure it did not go unprotested. The act of rolling out the red carpet seemed particularly craven. Their subsequent art-activist event unfolded with precision.
A Provocative Film
The group produced a nine-minute film exploring the connections with notorious figure Jeffrey Epstein. Its ending stated: “The commander-in-chief of the United States was a long-time close friend of America’s most notorious child sex trafficker. He’s alleged to be mentioned, numerous times, in the files related to the investigation into that individual … Now that president, Donald Trump, is sleeping here in Windsor Castle.” (For his part, Trump maintains he fell out with Epstein long prior to Epstein’s initial legal troubles and repeatedly refuted all allegations in relation to Epstein.)
Preparations and Execution
The activists had secured rooms in the nearby Harte and Garter hotel, which boast “castle view” and, more crucially, “castle view superior”, said a co-founder, Ben Stewart. Their equipment included a powerful projector. For audio, Stewart positioned a Bluetooth speaker, hidden within a box of cereal, on top of a public rubbish bin outside.
International press had gathered, their gaze fixed at the castle, becoming bored awaiting Trump's arrival. The film, however, gained traction everywhere. “While photographs of Epstein and Trump spread like wildfire online,” Stewart says, “I doubt that convinces people of anything – it just makes Trump uncomfortable. The film we made gives people something tangible to share, implying: ‘There’s something significant to look at here.’ We took an act of activist journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was viewed 20m times.”
The Reveal
The film began with the official Windsor Castle logo. “It requires the castle's round tower needs a little bit of mapping,” Stewart states. “So there’s the royal coat of arms. Officers are thinking: ‘How pleasant – a royal tribute,’ and suddenly a massive image of Jeffrey Epstein materializes. This electric jolt goes through the police in fluorescent jackets nearby, and they all pile into the hotel.”
A History of Activism
This was not the group’s first rodeo; it wasn’t even their first effort against Trump. In 2018, during his time with Greenpeace, Stewart piloted a paraglider over the hotel where the then-president was staying in Scotland. A year later, police visited him that any repeat, his safety wasn't assured.
Confrontation with Police
However, the activists were not especially worried about detainment. “My nervous energy is channelled into ensuring 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 within three minutes, highly agitated, Knowles recalls. “Wearing tactical gear and caps. They had located the culprits. They charged up the stairs; they were briefed; they were on a mission to safeguard the guest. Fortunately, no guns. But they were very adrenalised upon entering the room. I had to say: ‘We should keep this calm.’”
Delaying multiple police officers for six minutes. It helped that they were unsure which law to charge anyone. When they finally entered the room, “one officer started reading a section of the Town and Country Planning Act, before another asked him to stop because it wasn’t right.” Knowles and three additional activists were subsequently detained for malicious communications, a stalking law. “and it’s very specific: its purpose is to address a really concerning offence. To throw it at an act of journalism, projected on to a wall, in defense of the reputation of the president, seemed against the spirit of the legislation,” Stewart says archly. While the others were detained, he slipped away, then soon after boarded a train out of Windsor, calling lawyers.
A Second Arrest and Questioning
Some time that night, while the activists were in the cells at Maidenhead police station, police re-entered and re-arrested them, now for public nuisance, having decided a stronger charge. During interrogation, the only officers available were from the child protection unit – a twist that was palpable, given the subject matter of the protest involved Jeffrey Epstein. The activists just answered all queries with: “No comment.” A few minutes into the interview, police presented a photograph: “‘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 knew what was coming: a picture of a large projector, ratchet-strapped to several drawers. Then, the detectives struggled to maintain their composure.”
The Final Result
Just over a month later, every charge were dropped.
