The Aftermath: The Night The Activist Group Projected Images of 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 17 September 2025, the activist collective Led By Donkeys felt compelled to ensure it did not go without a statement. The gesture of offering a lavish welcome was viewed as especially servile. Their next creative protest proceeded with precision.
A Provocative Film
Activists created a nine-minute film detailing 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 America’s most notorious sex offender. His name is said to be mentioned, repeatedly, in documents related to the investigation into Epstein … Now that very man, Donald Trump, is sleeping here in Windsor Castle.” (In response, Trump maintains he fell out with Epstein long prior to Epstein’s first arrest and has consistently denied any wrongdoing concerning Epstein.)
The Setup
The activists had secured rooms in the adjacent Harte and Garter hotel, rooms advertised with “castle view” and, more crucially, “castle view superior”, said group founder, Ben Stewart. They utilized a high-lumen 32,000-lumen projector. For audio, Stewart placed a wireless speaker, concealed inside a cereal box, atop a garbage can outside.
The world’s media was assembled, their gaze fixed at the castle, growing restless as Trump was delayed. Their film, spread rapidly everywhere. “While photographs of Epstein and Trump spread like wildfire online,” Stewart says, “I doubt that convinces people of anything – it simply makes Trump uneasy. The film we made gives people a social object to share, saying: ‘This is something significant to examine here.’ It was 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 this royal crest. The police are thinking: ‘How pleasant – the royal family,’ and suddenly a massive image of Jeffrey Epstein materializes. This electric jolt goes through the police in fluorescent jackets around me, and the police raced into the hotel.”
Not Their First Protest
It wasn't their inaugural action; nor was it their first effort targeting Trump. In 2018, while working for Greenpeace, Stewart had flown a motorized paraglider over the hotel 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
However, the activists were not overly concerned about detainment. “My nervous energy is channelled into wanting the action to succeed,” says Oliver Knowles, another co-founder. “Once the police arrive, the die is cast.” Officers was rapid, arriving in the lobby in under three minutes, highly agitated, Knowles recalls. “Wearing tactical gear and caps. They’d finally found some protesters. They came roaring up the stairs; prepared; they were on a mission to safeguard the guest. Thankfully, no guns. But they were extremely tense upon entering the room. I told them: ‘We should keep this calm.’”
Delaying multiple police officers for six minutes. The fact that officers were unsure which law to charge anyone. Upon finally entering the room, “a policeman began reciting a clause of the Town and Country Planning Act, which another officer told him to stop as it was incorrect.” Knowles and three other team members were subsequently detained for malicious communication, a stalking law. “and it’s very specific: its purpose is to deal with 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 against the spirit of the legislation,” Stewart remarks pointedly. While the others were detained, he melted into the crowd, then soon after was on a train out of Windsor, contacting legal counsel.
An Ironic Interrogation
Later that night, as the detainees sat in cells at Maidenhead police station, officers came in and re-arrested them, now for public nuisance, deeming it a stronger charge. During interrogation, the sole available interrogators were from the child protection squad – a twist which was not lost on anyone, given the focus of the protest involved Jeffrey Epstein. Knowles and his associates responded to every question with: “No comment.” A few minutes into the interview, police presented a photo: “They asked, did you remove 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 knew what was coming: an image of a giant projector, ratchet-strapped to four drawers. At that point, the detectives struggled to maintain their composure.”
The Outcome
Just over a month later, all charges were dropped.
