The Unfolding Events: The Evening Led By Donkeys Projected Images of Trump and Epstein onto Windsor Castle

When the announcement was made for Donald Trump’s upcoming official trip, including a Windsor Castle banquet on 17 September 2025, the activist collective Led By Donkeys was determined to ensure it did not go unprotested. The act of rolling out the red carpet was viewed as especially servile. Their next art-activist event unfolded like clockwork.

A Deliberate Message

The group produced a short documentary exploring Donald Trump’s relationship with notorious figure Jeffrey Epstein. Its ending stated: “The president of the United States is alleged to have been a long-time close friend of the nation's most infamous sex offender. He’s alleged to be referenced, repeatedly, in documents related to the criminal probe into that individual … Now that very man, Donald Trump, is a guest within Windsor Castle.” (In response, Trump has stated he ended his friendship with Epstein long prior to Epstein’s initial legal troubles and has consistently denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein.)

The Setup

The group had booked rooms in the adjacent Harte and Garter hotel, rooms advertised with “castle view” and, more crucially, 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 inside a cereal box, atop a public rubbish bin outside.

International press was assembled, their gaze fixed at the castle, growing restless as Trump was delayed. Their film, spread rapidly globally. “While the still pictures of Epstein and Trump went viral online,” Stewart notes, “I doubt that convinces people of anything – it just makes Trump uncomfortable. Our documentary provides viewers 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 20m times.”

The Reveal

The film began with the recognizable Windsor Castle logo. “Projecting onto a cylindrical building requires a little bit of mapping,” Stewart explains. “So there’s the royal coat of arms. Officers likely thought: ‘Ah, that’s nice – the royal family,’ and then abruptly a massive image of Jeffrey Epstein appears. This electric jolt goes through the officers nearby, and they raced into the hotel.”

Not Their First Protest

This was not the group’s first rodeo; it wasn’t even their first effort against Trump. Back in 2018, while working for Greenpeace, Stewart piloted a motorized paraglider near the hotel where the president was staying during a visit to Turnberry. The following year, police visited him that if he tried again, his safety wasn't assured.

Confrontation with Police

However, the activists weren't overly concerned about arrest. “My nervous energy goes into wanting the protest works,” notes Oliver Knowles, another co-founder. “By the time the police arrive, the message is already out.” The police response was swift, arriving in the lobby in under three minutes, “really pumped up”, he remembers. “They were in tactical gear and baseball caps. They’d finally found some protesters. They charged up the stairs; prepared; they were on a mission to safeguard the guest. Fortunately, no firearms. But they were very adrenalised upon entering the room. I told them: ‘Let’s keep this really calm.’”

Stalling multiple police officers for six minutes. The fact that they were unsure under what law to make arrests. Upon finally entering the room, “one officer started reading 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 stalking law. “and it’s very specific: it’s designed to address a serious offence. To throw it at a piece of journalism, displayed on a wall, to protect the reputation of the president, seemed contrary to the intent of the legislation,” Stewart says archly. As his colleagues were arrested, he melted into the crowd, then soon after 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 arrested them again, this time for public nuisance, deeming it a stronger charge. When they came to be questioned, the sole available interrogators were from the child protection unit – an irony which was palpable, given the subject matter of the protest involved Jeffrey Epstein. Knowles and his associates responded to all queries with: “I have no comment.” Shortly after starting the interview, police presented a photo: “‘Mr Knowles, did you take the drawer from this nightstand?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Sir, do you know anybody else who may have had reason to remove the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I anticipated the next move: a picture of a large projector, secured to four drawers. Then, the officers struggled to keep a straight face.”

The Outcome

Just over one month later, all charges were dropped.