What Happened Next: The Evening The Activist Group Beamed Images of Trump and Epstein onto Windsor Castle
When plans were revealed for Donald Trump’s second state visit, complete with a Windsor Castle banquet on 17 September 2025, the activist collective Led By Donkeys felt compelled not to let it pass without a statement. The gesture of rolling out the red carpet seemed especially servile. Their subsequent art-activist event proceeded like clockwork.
A Deliberate Message
The group produced a nine-minute film detailing Donald Trump’s relationship with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. It concluded: “The president of the United States is alleged to have been a long-time close friend of America’s most notorious sex offender. His name is said to be referenced, numerous times, in the files from the criminal probe into Epstein … And now that president, Donald Trump, is sleeping here within Windsor Castle.” (In response, Trump maintains he ended his friendship with Epstein years before Epstein’s first arrest and has consistently denied all allegations in relation to Epstein.)
Preparations and Execution
The activists had booked rooms in the nearby Harte and Garter hotel, which boast “castle view” and, even more helpfully, superior castle views, said group founder, Ben Stewart. They utilized a powerful projector. For audio, Stewart placed a wireless speaker, concealed within a box of cereal, on top of a garbage can outside.
The world’s media had gathered, their gaze fixed at the castle, becoming bored as Trump was delayed. The film, however, spread rapidly globally. “Although photographs 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, implying: ‘This is something significant to examine here.’ We took a piece of guerrilla journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was viewed 20m times.”
The Reveal
The film began with the recognizable Windsor Castle logo. “Projecting onto a cylindrical building needs some technical calibration,” Stewart explains. “First appeared this royal crest. The police are thinking: ‘How pleasant – a royal tribute,’ and suddenly a massive image of Jeffrey Epstein appears. This electric jolt goes through the officers nearby, and the police all pile into the hotel.”
A History of Activism
This was not their inaugural action; it wasn’t even their first effort targeting Trump. In 2018, during his time with Greenpeace, Stewart had flown a motorized paraglider near the resort where the president was staying in Scotland. A year later, officers warned him that if he tried again, they couldn’t guarantee.
The Arrests
But, the activists weren't especially worried about detainment. “All my anxiety goes into ensuring the action to succeed,” says Oliver Knowles, a fellow founder. “By the time the police arrive, the message is already out.” The police response was swift, arriving in the lobby in under three minutes, “really pumped up”, he remembers. “Wearing tactical gear and caps. They’d finally found the culprits. They charged up the stairs; they were briefed; they were on a mission to safeguard the guest. Thankfully, no firearms. But they were very adrenalised when they entered the room. I told them: ‘We should keep this really calm.’”
Delaying a large number of police officers is a long time. The fact that officers were unsure under what law to make arrests. When they finally entered the room, “one officer started reading a clause of the Town and Country Planning Act, before another asked him to stop as it was incorrect.” Knowles and three other activists were subsequently detained for malicious communications, a stalking law. “The law is precise: it’s designed to address a serious offence. To throw it at a piece of journalism, displayed on a wall, in defense of the reputation of the president, appeared against the spirit of the legislation,” Stewart says archly. As his colleagues were arrested, he melted into the crowd, then soon after boarded a train out of Windsor, contacting legal counsel.
A Second Arrest and Questioning
Some time in the middle of the night, while the activists were in the cells at Maidenhead police station, officers came in and arrested them again, now for public nuisance, having decided a stronger charge. When they came to be questioned, the sole available interrogators were from the child protection squad – an irony that was not lost on anyone, given the subject matter of the protest involved Jeffrey Epstein. The activists responded to every question with: “I have no comment.” Shortly after starting the interview, the officers slid over a photograph: “‘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 anticipated what was coming: an image of a large projector, ratchet-strapped to four drawers. Then, the detectives were finding it hard to keep a straight face.”
The Final Result
A little more than one month later, all charges were dropped.
