🔗 Share this article The Aftermath: The Evening The Activist Group Beamed Pictures Featuring Trump and Epstein onto Windsor Castle When plans were revealed for Donald Trump’s second state visit, including a Windsor Castle banquet on 17 September 2025, the protest group known as Led By Donkeys was determined to ensure it did not go unprotested. The act of offering a lavish welcome seemed especially servile. Their subsequent art-activist event unfolded with precision. A Deliberate Message The group produced a short documentary detailing the connections with notorious figure Jeffrey Epstein. It concluded: “The commander-in-chief of the United States was a long-time close friend of the nation's most infamous child sex trafficker. He’s alleged to be mentioned, repeatedly, in the files related to the investigation into Epstein … And now that very man, Donald Trump, is sleeping here within Windsor Castle.” (For his part, Trump has stated he fell out with Epstein years before Epstein’s initial legal troubles and has consistently denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein.) Preparations and Execution The activists had booked rooms in the adjacent Harte and Garter hotel, which boast views of the castle and, more crucially, superior castle views, according to a co-founder, Ben Stewart. Their equipment included a powerful projector. For audio, Stewart positioned a wireless speaker, hidden within a box of cereal, on top of a garbage can outside. The world’s media had gathered, staring at the castle, growing restless awaiting Trump's arrival. The film, however, spread rapidly everywhere. “While photographs of Epstein and Trump spread like wildfire online,” Stewart says, “I doubt that convinces people of anything – it just makes Trump uncomfortable. Our documentary provides viewers something tangible to share, saying: ‘This is something really serious to examine here.’ We took a piece of guerrilla journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was seen 20m times.” The Reveal The film began with the recognizable Windsor Castle logo. “It requires a cylindrical building needs a little bit of mapping,” Stewart explains. “First appeared this royal crest. The police likely thought: ‘Ah, that’s nice – a royal tribute,’ and then abruptly a great big picture of Jeffrey Epstein materializes. A wave of shock passed through the officers nearby, and they all pile into the hotel.” A History of Activism It wasn't the group’s first rodeo; it wasn’t even their first action targeting Trump. Back in 2018, during his time with Greenpeace, Stewart had flown a paraglider over the resort where the then-president was staying during a visit to Turnberry. A year later, officers warned him that any repeat, his safety wasn't assured. The Arrests But, the group's creators were not overly concerned about arrest. “All my anxiety is channelled into wanting the action to succeed,” notes Oliver Knowles, a fellow founder. “By the time the police make the intervention, the message is already out.” The police response was rapid, reaching the hotel in under three minutes, “really pumped up”, Knowles recalls. “They were in tactical gear and caps. They’d finally found some protesters. They came roaring up the stairs; prepared; tasked to protect the president. Thankfully, no guns. But they were very adrenalised upon entering the room. I told them: ‘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 additional team members were then arrested for malicious communications, a law related to harassment. “and it’s very specific: it’s designed to deal with a really concerning offence. To throw it at a piece of journalism, projected on to a wall, in defense of the reputation of the president, seemed contrary to the intent 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. A Second Arrest and Questioning Later that night, while the activists sat in cells at Maidenhead police station, officers came in and re-arrested them, this time for public nuisance, having decided a stronger charge. During interrogation, the sole available interrogators belonged to the child protection unit – a twist which was palpable, given the focus of the protest involved alleged sex offender. Knowles and his associates responded to all queries with: “No comment.” A few minutes into the interview, the officers slid over a photo: “‘Mr Knowles, did you remove the drawer from this nightstand?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Mr Knowles, do you know anyone who may have had reason to remove the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I knew the next move: an image of a giant projector, ratchet-strapped to several drawers. At that point, the officers struggled to maintain their composure.” The Final Result Just over one month later, every charge were dropped.
When plans were revealed for Donald Trump’s second state visit, including a Windsor Castle banquet on 17 September 2025, the protest group known as Led By Donkeys was determined to ensure it did not go unprotested. The act of offering a lavish welcome seemed especially servile. Their subsequent art-activist event unfolded with precision. A Deliberate Message The group produced a short documentary detailing the connections with notorious figure Jeffrey Epstein. It concluded: “The commander-in-chief of the United States was a long-time close friend of the nation's most infamous child sex trafficker. He’s alleged to be mentioned, repeatedly, in the files related to the investigation into Epstein … And now that very man, Donald Trump, is sleeping here within Windsor Castle.” (For his part, Trump has stated he fell out with Epstein years before Epstein’s initial legal troubles and has consistently denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein.) Preparations and Execution The activists had booked rooms in the adjacent Harte and Garter hotel, which boast views of the castle and, more crucially, superior castle views, according to a co-founder, Ben Stewart. Their equipment included a powerful projector. For audio, Stewart positioned a wireless speaker, hidden within a box of cereal, on top of a garbage can outside. The world’s media had gathered, staring at the castle, growing restless awaiting Trump's arrival. The film, however, spread rapidly everywhere. “While photographs of Epstein and Trump spread like wildfire online,” Stewart says, “I doubt that convinces people of anything – it just makes Trump uncomfortable. Our documentary provides viewers something tangible to share, saying: ‘This is something really serious to examine here.’ We took a piece of guerrilla journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was seen 20m times.” The Reveal The film began with the recognizable Windsor Castle logo. “It requires a cylindrical building needs a little bit of mapping,” Stewart explains. “First appeared this royal crest. The police likely thought: ‘Ah, that’s nice – a royal tribute,’ and then abruptly a great big picture of Jeffrey Epstein materializes. A wave of shock passed through the officers nearby, and they all pile into the hotel.” A History of Activism It wasn't the group’s first rodeo; it wasn’t even their first action targeting Trump. Back in 2018, during his time with Greenpeace, Stewart had flown a paraglider over the resort where the then-president was staying during a visit to Turnberry. A year later, officers warned him that any repeat, his safety wasn't assured. The Arrests But, the group's creators were not overly concerned about arrest. “All my anxiety is channelled into wanting the action to succeed,” notes Oliver Knowles, a fellow founder. “By the time the police make the intervention, the message is already out.” The police response was rapid, reaching the hotel in under three minutes, “really pumped up”, Knowles recalls. “They were in tactical gear and caps. They’d finally found some protesters. They came roaring up the stairs; prepared; tasked to protect the president. Thankfully, no guns. But they were very adrenalised upon entering the room. I told them: ‘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 additional team members were then arrested for malicious communications, a law related to harassment. “and it’s very specific: it’s designed to deal with a really concerning offence. To throw it at a piece of journalism, projected on to a wall, in defense of the reputation of the president, seemed contrary to the intent 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. A Second Arrest and Questioning Later that night, while the activists sat in cells at Maidenhead police station, officers came in and re-arrested them, this time for public nuisance, having decided a stronger charge. During interrogation, the sole available interrogators belonged to the child protection unit – a twist which was palpable, given the focus of the protest involved alleged sex offender. Knowles and his associates responded to all queries with: “No comment.” A few minutes into the interview, the officers slid over a photo: “‘Mr Knowles, did you remove the drawer from this nightstand?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Mr Knowles, do you know anyone who may have had reason to remove the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I knew the next move: an image of a giant projector, ratchet-strapped to several drawers. At that point, the officers struggled to maintain their composure.” The Final Result Just over one month later, every charge were dropped.