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

When the announcement was made for the former president's second state visit, complete with a Windsor Castle banquet on 17 September 2025, the protest group Led By Donkeys felt compelled to ensure it did not go unprotested. The gesture of rolling out the red carpet was viewed as particularly craven. Their next art-activist event unfolded with precision.

A Deliberate Message

The group produced a nine-minute film exploring the connections 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 child sex trafficker. He’s alleged to be referenced, repeatedly, in the files from the criminal probe into that individual … And now that very man, Donald Trump, is a guest in Windsor Castle.” (In response, Trump maintains he ended his friendship with Epstein long prior to Epstein’s first arrest and repeatedly refuted all allegations in relation to Epstein.)

The Setup

The activists had secured rooms in the nearby Harte and Garter hotel, rooms advertised with views of the castle and, even more helpfully, “castle view superior”, said a co-founder, Ben Stewart. Their equipment included a high-lumen projector. To broadcast sound, Stewart positioned a wireless speaker, hidden inside a cereal box, on top of a public rubbish bin outside.

The world’s media was assembled, their gaze fixed at the castle, growing restless as Trump was delayed. The film, however, spread rapidly everywhere. “Although the still pictures of Epstein and Trump spread like wildfire online,” Stewart notes, “I doubt that convinces people of anything – it simply makes Trump uneasy. The film we made gives people something tangible to share, saying: ‘This is something significant to look at here.’ We took a piece of guerrilla journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was seen by millions.”

The Moment of Projection

It started with the recognizable Windsor Castle logo. “Projecting onto the castle's round tower requires some technical calibration,” Stewart states. “First appeared the royal coat of arms. The police likely thought: ‘Ah, that’s nice – the royal family,’ and then abruptly a great big picture of Jeffrey Epstein materializes. This electric jolt goes through the police in fluorescent jackets nearby, and they raced into the hotel.”

A History of Activism

This was not the group’s first rodeo; it wasn’t even their first effort targeting Trump. In 2018, during his time with Greenpeace, Stewart piloted a paraglider over the hotel where the then-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 were not overly concerned about detainment. “All my anxiety is channelled into ensuring the action to succeed,” notes Oliver Knowles, a fellow founder. “By the time the police arrive, the die is cast.” Officers was rapid, reaching the hotel within three minutes, highly agitated, he remembers. “Wearing tactical gear and caps. They had located some protesters. They charged up the stairs; they were briefed; tasked to protect the president. Thankfully, no guns. But they were very adrenalised upon entering the room. I told them: ‘We should keep this really calm.’”

Stalling a large number of police officers is a long time. The fact that they were unsure under what law to charge anyone. Upon finally entering the room, “a policeman started reading a section of the Town and Country Planning Act, before another told him to stop because it wasn’t right.” Knowles and three other team members were subsequently detained for malicious communication, a law related to harassment. “and it’s very specific: it’s designed to deal with a really concerning offence. Applying it to an act of journalism, projected on to a wall, in defense of the reputation of the president, appeared against the spirit of the legislation,” Stewart remarks pointedly. While the others were detained, he slipped away, shortly thereafter boarded a train out of Windsor, calling lawyers.

A Second Arrest and Questioning

Some time that night, as the detainees sat in cells at Maidenhead police station, police re-entered and arrested them again, now for causing a public nuisance, deeming it a stronger charge. During interrogation, the sole available interrogators belonged to the child protection squad – an irony which was not lost on anyone, given the subject matter of the protest involved Jeffrey Epstein. Knowles and his associates just answered every question with: “No comment.” Shortly after starting the interview, police presented a photograph: “They asked, did you take the drawer from this bedside table?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Sir, do you know anybody else who may have had reason to remove the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I knew the next move: a picture of a large projector, secured to four drawers. Then, the detectives were finding it hard to keep a straight face.”

The Final Result

A little more than a month later, all charges were dropped.