The Unfolding Events: The Night Led By Donkeys Beamed Images of Trump and Epstein onto Windsor Castle
When the announcement was made for the former president's upcoming official trip, including a Windsor Castle banquet on September 17th, 2025, the activist collective Led By Donkeys felt compelled to ensure it did not go unprotested. The act of rolling out the red carpet seemed particularly craven. Their subsequent creative protest proceeded like clockwork.
A Deliberate Message
Activists created a short documentary 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 the nation's most infamous sex offender. He’s alleged to be referenced, repeatedly, in documents related to the criminal probe into that individual … And now that very man, Donald Trump, is a guest within Windsor Castle.” (In response, Trump has stated he fell out with Epstein years before Epstein’s first arrest and repeatedly refuted 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, “castle view superior”, said a co-founder, Ben Stewart. Their equipment included a high-lumen 32,000-lumen projector. To broadcast sound, Stewart placed a wireless speaker, concealed inside a cereal box, atop a public rubbish bin outside.
The world’s media was assembled, their gaze fixed at the castle, growing restless awaiting Trump's arrival. Their film, gained traction everywhere. “While the still pictures of Epstein and Trump went viral online,” Stewart says, “I doubt that convinces people of anything – it simply makes Trump uneasy. The film we made gives people a social object to share, saying: ‘There’s something significant to examine here.’ It was 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. “It requires the castle's round tower needs a little bit of mapping,” Stewart explains. “So there’s the royal coat of arms. The police are thinking: ‘Ah, that’s nice – the royal family,’ and then abruptly a great big picture of Jeffrey Epstein materializes. This electric jolt passed through the police in fluorescent jackets around me, and they raced into the hotel.”
Not Their First Protest
This was not their inaugural action; it wasn’t even their first effort targeting Trump. Back in 2018, during his time with Greenpeace, Stewart had flown a paraglider over the hotel where the president was staying in Scotland. A year later, police visited him that if he tried again, his safety wasn't assured.
Confrontation with Police
But, the activists were not especially worried about detainment. “All my anxiety is channelled into ensuring the action to succeed,” says Oliver Knowles, another co-founder. “By the time the police make the intervention, the die is cast.” The police response was swift, reaching the hotel within three minutes, “really pumped up”, he remembers. “Wearing jumpsuits and caps. They’d finally found some protesters. They came roaring up the stairs; prepared; they were on a mission to safeguard the guest. Fortunately, no guns. But they were extremely tense upon entering the room. I had to say: ‘Let’s keep this really calm.’”
Stalling a large number of police officers is a long time. It helped that officers didn’t know under what law to make arrests. When they finally entered the room, “one officer started reading a section of the Town and Country Planning Act, which another officer asked him to stop as it was incorrect.” Knowles and three other team members were subsequently detained for malicious communication, a stalking law. “and it’s very specific: it’s designed to deal with a really concerning offence. Applying it to an act of journalism, displayed on a wall, to protect 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
Later that night, while the activists were in the cells at Maidenhead police station, police re-entered and re-arrested them, this time for public nuisance, having decided a stronger charge. When they came to be questioned, the only officers available belonged to the child protection unit – a twist that was not lost on anyone, given the subject matter of the protest involved alleged sex offender. Knowles and his associates just answered all queries with: “I have no comment.” A few minutes into the interview, the officers slid over a photo: “‘Mr Knowles, did you take the drawer from this bedside table?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Mr Knowles, do you know anyone who may have had reason to remove the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I anticipated what was coming: a picture of a large projector, ratchet-strapped to four drawers. At that point, the detectives struggled to maintain their composure.”
The Outcome
A little more than one month later, every charge was dismissed.
