The Aftermath: The Night Led By Donkeys Projected Images of Trump and Epstein on to Windsor Castle
When the announcement was made for the former president's second state visit, including a royal dinner at Windsor on 17 September 2025, the activist collective Led By Donkeys was determined not to let it pass without a statement. The gesture of offering a lavish welcome seemed especially servile. Their next creative protest unfolded like clockwork.
A Deliberate Message
The group produced a nine-minute film detailing Donald Trump’s relationship with notorious figure Jeffrey Epstein. It concluded: “The president of the United States is alleged to have been a longstanding associate of America’s most notorious sex offender. His name is said to be mentioned, numerous times, in the files related to the investigation into that individual … And 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 has consistently denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein.)
Preparations and Execution
The activists had secured rooms in the adjacent Harte and Garter hotel, rooms advertised with “castle view” and, even more helpfully, superior castle views, said a co-founder, Ben Stewart. Their equipment included a powerful projector. For audio, Stewart placed a wireless speaker, hidden inside a cereal box, atop a public rubbish bin outside.
International press was assembled, staring at the castle, growing restless as Trump was delayed. Their film, spread rapidly globally. “While photographs of Epstein and Trump spread like wildfire online,” Stewart notes, “I’m not sure that persuades anyone of anything – it simply makes Trump uneasy. Our documentary gives people something tangible to share, implying: ‘This is something significant to look at here.’ We took a piece of guerrilla journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was viewed by millions.”
The Reveal
It started with the official Windsor Castle logo. “It requires the castle's round tower needs a little bit of mapping,” Stewart explains. “First appeared this royal crest. Officers likely thought: ‘Ah, that’s nice – the royal family,’ and then abruptly a great big picture of Jeffrey Epstein appears. A wave of shock passed through the police in fluorescent jackets nearby, and the police all pile into the hotel.”
Not Their First Protest
It wasn't 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 near the resort where the then-president was staying in Scotland. The following year, police visited him that any repeat, his safety wasn't assured.
Confrontation with Police
But, the activists weren't especially worried about arrest. “My nervous energy goes into ensuring the action to succeed,” notes Oliver Knowles, a fellow founder. “Once the police make the intervention, the message is already out.” The police response was rapid, reaching the hotel within three minutes, highly agitated, he remembers. “They were in jumpsuits and baseball caps. They’d finally found the culprits. They charged up the stairs; prepared; tasked to protect the president. Fortunately, no guns. But they were extremely tense when they entered the room. I told them: ‘Let’s keep this really calm.’”
Stalling a large number of police officers for six minutes. It helped that officers didn’t know which law to make arrests. When they finally entered the room, “a policeman started reading a clause of the Town and Country Planning Act, before another told him to stop as it was incorrect.” Knowles and three other team members were then arrested for malicious communication, a law related to harassment. “The law is precise: it’s designed to address a serious offence. Applying it to an act of journalism, projected on to a wall, in defense of the reputation of the president, appeared contrary to the intent of the legislation,” Stewart remarks pointedly. While the others were detained, he slipped away, then soon after boarded a train leaving Windsor, contacting legal counsel.
A Second Arrest and Questioning
Later in the middle of the night, while the activists sat in cells at Maidenhead police station, police re-entered and re-arrested them, now for causing a public nuisance, deeming it more likely to succeed. When they came to be questioned, the only officers available belonged to the child protection unit – an irony which was palpable, given the subject matter of the protest concerned alleged sex offender. Knowles and his associates just answered every question with: “I have no comment.” Shortly after starting the interview, police presented a photograph: “They asked, 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 knew the next move: a picture of a giant projector, ratchet-strapped to several drawers. Then, the officers were finding it hard to maintain their composure.”
The Final Result
Just over one month later, all charges was dismissed.
