What Happened Next: The Night The Activist Group Projected Images of 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 Led By Donkeys was determined to ensure it did not go without a statement. The gesture of rolling out the red carpet was viewed as particularly craven. Their next creative protest proceeded with precision.
A Provocative Film
The group produced a nine-minute film detailing the connections with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. Its ending stated: “The commander-in-chief of the United States is alleged to have been a longstanding associate of America’s most notorious child sex trafficker. His name is said to be referenced, numerous times, in documents from the investigation into that individual … Now that president, Donald Trump, is sleeping here in Windsor Castle.” (For his part, Trump has stated he fell out with Epstein years before Epstein’s first arrest and has consistently denied any wrongdoing 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 a co-founder, Ben Stewart. They utilized a high-lumen projector. For audio, Stewart positioned a Bluetooth speaker, hidden inside a cereal box, on top of a garbage can outside.
International press was assembled, staring at the castle, growing restless awaiting Trump's arrival. The film, however, spread rapidly everywhere. “While the still pictures of Epstein and Trump spread like wildfire online,” Stewart notes, “I doubt that convinces people of anything – it simply makes Trump uncomfortable. Our documentary provides viewers something tangible to share, implying: ‘This is something significant to examine here.’ We took a piece of guerrilla journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was viewed by millions.”
The Moment of Projection
The film began with the recognizable Windsor Castle logo. “It requires the castle's round tower requires a little bit of mapping,” Stewart explains. “So there’s this royal crest. The police are thinking: ‘How pleasant – a royal tribute,’ and then abruptly a great big picture of Jeffrey Epstein appears. This electric jolt goes through the police in fluorescent jackets around me, and they raced into the hotel.”
Not Their First Protest
It wasn't the group’s first rodeo; nor was it their first effort targeting Trump. Back in 2018, while working for Greenpeace, Stewart piloted a motorized paraglider over the hotel where the president was staying in Scotland. A year later, officers warned him that any repeat, his safety wasn't assured.
Confrontation with Police
But, the group's creators weren't overly concerned about detainment. “My nervous energy goes into ensuring the protest works,” notes Oliver Knowles, another co-founder. “By the time the police arrive, the message is already out.” The police response was rapid, arriving in the lobby within three minutes, highly agitated, he remembers. “They were in tactical gear and caps. They had located some protesters. They charged up the stairs; they were briefed; they were on a mission to protect the president. Thankfully, no guns. But they were very adrenalised when they entered the room. I told them: ‘We should keep this really calm.’”
Delaying multiple police officers is a long time. It helped that they didn’t know which law to charge anyone. When they finally entered the room, “a policeman began reciting a section of the Town and Country Planning Act, before another told him to stop because it wasn’t right.” Knowles and three additional team members were subsequently detained for malicious communications, a law related to harassment. “and it’s very specific: its purpose is to address a serious offence. Applying it to an act of journalism, projected on to a wall, to protect the reputation of the president, seemed contrary to the intent of the legislation,” Stewart says archly. While the others were detained, he slipped away, then soon after was on a train out of Windsor, contacting legal counsel.
A Second Arrest and Questioning
Some time in the middle of the night, while the activists sat in cells at Maidenhead police station, officers came in and arrested them again, this time for causing a public nuisance, deeming it more likely to succeed. When they came to be questioned, the only officers available were from the child protection squad – an irony which was not lost on anyone, given the focus of the protest involved alleged sex offender. Knowles and his associates responded to all queries 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.’ ‘Mr Knowles, do you know anyone who may have had reason to remove the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I anticipated what was coming: an image of a giant projector, ratchet-strapped to four drawers. At that point, the detectives were finding it hard to keep a straight face.”
The Final Result
A little more than one month later, every charge were dropped.
