The Unfolding Events: The Night The Activist Group Projected Images of Trump and Epstein onto Windsor Castle
When plans were revealed for Donald Trump’s upcoming official trip, complete with a Windsor Castle banquet on 17 September 2025, the protest group known as Led By Donkeys was determined not to let it pass without a statement. The gesture of offering a lavish welcome seemed especially servile. Their next art-activist event unfolded like clockwork.
A Deliberate Message
Activists created a short documentary exploring the connections with notorious figure Jeffrey Epstein. Its ending stated: “The president of the United States is alleged to have been a longstanding associate of the nation's most infamous child sex trafficker. His name is said to be referenced, numerous times, in documents from the investigation into that individual … Now that very man, Donald Trump, is sleeping here within Windsor Castle.” (For his part, Trump has stated he ended his friendship with Epstein long prior to Epstein’s first arrest and has consistently denied any wrongdoing concerning Epstein.)
Preparations and Execution
The activists had booked rooms in the nearby Harte and Garter hotel, rooms advertised with views of the castle and, more crucially, superior castle views, according to a co-founder, Ben Stewart. They utilized a high-lumen projector. To broadcast sound, Stewart placed a wireless speaker, hidden within a box of cereal, on top of a garbage can outside.
International press had gathered, their gaze fixed at the castle, growing restless as Trump was delayed. Their film, gained traction globally. “While the still pictures of Epstein and Trump went viral online,” Stewart says, “I’m not sure that persuades anyone of anything – it simply makes Trump uneasy. Our documentary provides viewers something tangible to share, implying: ‘This is something really serious to examine here.’ We took an act of activist journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was viewed 20m times.”
The Moment of Projection
The film began with the official Windsor Castle logo. “It requires the castle's round tower requires a little bit of mapping,” Stewart explains. “First appeared this royal crest. The police likely thought: ‘How pleasant – a royal tribute,’ and suddenly a massive image of Jeffrey Epstein materializes. 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 their inaugural action; nor was it their first action targeting Trump. In 2018, while working for Greenpeace, Stewart had flown a motorized paraglider over the resort where the then-president was staying during a visit to Turnberry. A year later, police visited him that if he tried again, his safety wasn't assured.
Confrontation with Police
But, the activists weren't overly concerned about arrest. “All my anxiety is channelled into wanting the protest works,” notes Oliver Knowles, another co-founder. “Once the police arrive, the message is already out.” The police response was swift, reaching the hotel within three minutes, highly agitated, he remembers. “They were in tactical gear and baseball caps. They had located the culprits. They charged up the stairs; prepared; they were on a mission to protect the president. Fortunately, no guns. But they were extremely tense when they entered the room. I told them: ‘We should keep this calm.’”
Delaying multiple police officers is a long time. It helped that officers didn’t know which law to make arrests. Upon finally entering the room, “one officer began reciting a clause of the Town and Country Planning Act, before another asked him to stop because it wasn’t right.” Knowles and three other team members were subsequently detained for malicious communications, a stalking law. “The law is precise: it’s designed to deal with a serious offence. To throw it at an act of journalism, displayed on 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, shortly thereafter was on a train out of Windsor, contacting legal counsel.
An Ironic Interrogation
Some time that night, as the detainees sat in cells at Maidenhead police station, police re-entered and re-arrested them, this time for causing a public nuisance, having decided a stronger charge. When they came to be questioned, the only officers available were from the child protection squad – a twist that was palpable, given the subject matter of the protest concerned alleged sex offender. Knowles and his associates responded to all queries with: “I have no comment.” Shortly after starting the interview, police presented a photo: “‘Mr Knowles, 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: an image of a large projector, secured to several drawers. Then, the detectives were finding it hard to keep a straight face.”
The Final Result
A little more than one month later, every charge was dismissed.
