🔗 Share this article The Unfolding Events: The Night Led By Donkeys Beamed Pictures Featuring Trump and Epstein on to Windsor Castle When plans were revealed for the former president's second state visit, complete with a royal dinner at Windsor on September 17th, 2025, the activist collective Led By Donkeys was determined to ensure it did not go unprotested. The gesture of rolling out the red carpet seemed especially servile. Their subsequent art-activist event proceeded with precision. A Provocative Film The group produced a nine-minute film exploring Donald Trump’s relationship with notorious figure Jeffrey Epstein. It concluded: “The president of the United States was a longstanding associate of America’s most notorious sex offender. His name is said to be referenced, repeatedly, in the files from the investigation into Epstein … And now that very man, Donald Trump, is a guest in Windsor Castle.” (In response, Trump maintains he fell out with Epstein years before Epstein’s initial legal troubles and repeatedly refuted all allegations in relation to Epstein.) The Setup The group had secured rooms in the nearby Harte and Garter hotel, rooms advertised with views of the castle and, more crucially, “castle view superior”, according to group founder, Ben Stewart. They utilized a powerful projector. To broadcast sound, Stewart placed a wireless speaker, concealed within a box of cereal, atop a public rubbish bin outside. International press had gathered, staring at the castle, growing restless as Trump was delayed. Their film, spread rapidly everywhere. “While the still pictures of Epstein and Trump went viral online,” Stewart notes, “I doubt that convinces people of anything – it just makes Trump uneasy. The film we made gives people a social object to share, saying: ‘There’s something significant to look at here.’ It was a piece of guerrilla journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was seen 20m times.” The Moment of Projection It started with the official Windsor Castle logo. “It requires a cylindrical building requires a little bit of mapping,” Stewart explains. “First appeared the royal coat of arms. Officers likely thought: ‘Ah, that’s nice – a royal tribute,’ and then abruptly a massive image of Jeffrey Epstein appears. A wave of shock goes through the police in fluorescent jackets around me, and the police raced into the hotel.” A History of Activism This was not their inaugural action; it wasn’t even their first action against Trump. Back in 2018, during his time with Greenpeace, Stewart had flown a motorized paraglider near the hotel where the president was staying in Scotland. A year later, police visited him that any repeat, his safety wasn't assured. Confrontation with Police But, the activists were not especially worried about detainment. “All my anxiety goes into ensuring the protest works,” says Oliver Knowles, a fellow founder. “By the time the police make the intervention, the die is cast.” Officers was swift, reaching the hotel within three minutes, highly agitated, he remembers. “They were in tactical gear and baseball caps. They’d finally found some protesters. They charged up the stairs; they were briefed; tasked to protect the president. Fortunately, no firearms. But they were extremely tense when they entered the room. I had to say: ‘Let’s keep this really calm.’” Delaying multiple police officers is a long time. It helped that they didn’t know which law to make arrests. Upon finally entering the room, “one officer started reading a section of the Town and Country Planning Act, which another officer asked him to stop because it wasn’t right.” Knowles and three other team members were then arrested for malicious communications, a stalking law. “The law is precise: it’s designed to deal with 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, shortly thereafter was on a train out of Windsor, calling lawyers. An Ironic Interrogation Later that night, while the activists were in the cells at Maidenhead police station, officers came in and re-arrested them, now for causing a public nuisance, deeming it a stronger charge. During interrogation, the sole available interrogators belonged to the child protection unit – an irony that was not lost on anyone, given the focus of the protest concerned Jeffrey Epstein. The activists responded to every question with: “I have no comment.” A few minutes into the interview, police presented a photo: “They asked, did you take the drawer from this nightstand?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Sir, do you know anybody else who may have had cause to take the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I anticipated what was coming: a picture of a giant projector, ratchet-strapped to several drawers. Then, the detectives struggled to keep a straight face.” The Outcome A little more than a month later, all charges was dismissed.
When plans were revealed for the former president's second state visit, complete with a royal dinner at Windsor on September 17th, 2025, the activist collective Led By Donkeys was determined to ensure it did not go unprotested. The gesture of rolling out the red carpet seemed especially servile. Their subsequent art-activist event proceeded with precision. A Provocative Film The group produced a nine-minute film exploring Donald Trump’s relationship with notorious figure Jeffrey Epstein. It concluded: “The president of the United States was a longstanding associate of America’s most notorious sex offender. His name is said to be referenced, repeatedly, in the files from the investigation into Epstein … And now that very man, Donald Trump, is a guest in Windsor Castle.” (In response, Trump maintains he fell out with Epstein years before Epstein’s initial legal troubles and repeatedly refuted all allegations in relation to Epstein.) The Setup The group had secured rooms in the nearby Harte and Garter hotel, rooms advertised with views of the castle and, more crucially, “castle view superior”, according to group founder, Ben Stewart. They utilized a powerful projector. To broadcast sound, Stewart placed a wireless speaker, concealed within a box of cereal, atop a public rubbish bin outside. International press had gathered, staring at the castle, growing restless as Trump was delayed. Their film, spread rapidly everywhere. “While the still pictures of Epstein and Trump went viral online,” Stewart notes, “I doubt that convinces people of anything – it just makes Trump uneasy. The film we made gives people a social object to share, saying: ‘There’s something significant to look at here.’ It was a piece of guerrilla journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was seen 20m times.” The Moment of Projection It started with the official Windsor Castle logo. “It requires a cylindrical building requires a little bit of mapping,” Stewart explains. “First appeared the royal coat of arms. Officers likely thought: ‘Ah, that’s nice – a royal tribute,’ and then abruptly a massive image of Jeffrey Epstein appears. A wave of shock goes through the police in fluorescent jackets around me, and the police raced into the hotel.” A History of Activism This was not their inaugural action; it wasn’t even their first action against Trump. Back in 2018, during his time with Greenpeace, Stewart had flown a motorized paraglider near the hotel where the president was staying in Scotland. A year later, police visited him that any repeat, his safety wasn't assured. Confrontation with Police But, the activists were not especially worried about detainment. “All my anxiety goes into ensuring the protest works,” says Oliver Knowles, a fellow founder. “By the time the police make the intervention, the die is cast.” Officers was swift, reaching the hotel within three minutes, highly agitated, he remembers. “They were in tactical gear and baseball caps. They’d finally found some protesters. They charged up the stairs; they were briefed; tasked to protect the president. Fortunately, no firearms. But they were extremely tense when they entered the room. I had to say: ‘Let’s keep this really calm.’” Delaying multiple police officers is a long time. It helped that they didn’t know which law to make arrests. Upon finally entering the room, “one officer started reading a section of the Town and Country Planning Act, which another officer asked him to stop because it wasn’t right.” Knowles and three other team members were then arrested for malicious communications, a stalking law. “The law is precise: it’s designed to deal with 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, shortly thereafter was on a train out of Windsor, calling lawyers. An Ironic Interrogation Later that night, while the activists were in the cells at Maidenhead police station, officers came in and re-arrested them, now for causing a public nuisance, deeming it a stronger charge. During interrogation, the sole available interrogators belonged to the child protection unit – an irony that was not lost on anyone, given the focus of the protest concerned Jeffrey Epstein. The activists responded to every question with: “I have no comment.” A few minutes into the interview, police presented a photo: “They asked, did you take the drawer from this nightstand?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Sir, do you know anybody else who may have had cause to take the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I anticipated what was coming: a picture of a giant projector, ratchet-strapped to several drawers. Then, the detectives struggled to keep a straight face.” The Outcome A little more than a month later, all charges was dismissed.