The Unfolding Events: The Night Led By Donkeys 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 activist collective Led By Donkeys felt compelled not to let it pass unprotested. The act of offering a lavish welcome seemed particularly craven. Their subsequent art-activist event unfolded with precision.
A Deliberate Message
The group produced a nine-minute film detailing Donald Trump’s relationship with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. It concluded: “The commander-in-chief of the United States was a long-time close friend of the nation's most infamous sex offender. He’s alleged to be referenced, repeatedly, in the files related to the investigation into Epstein … And now that president, Donald Trump, is sleeping here in Windsor Castle.” (For his part, Trump maintains he fell out with Epstein long prior to Epstein’s initial legal troubles and repeatedly refuted any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein.)
Preparations and Execution
The activists had secured rooms in the adjacent Harte and Garter hotel, rooms advertised with “castle view” and, even more helpfully, 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, atop a garbage can outside.
International press was assembled, their gaze fixed at the castle, becoming bored awaiting Trump's arrival. Their film, gained traction everywhere. “Although photographs of Epstein and Trump spread like wildfire online,” Stewart notes, “I doubt that convinces people of anything – it simply makes Trump uncomfortable. The film we made provides viewers something tangible to share, implying: ‘There’s something really serious to examine here.’ We took a piece of guerrilla journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was seen 20m times.”
The Moment of Projection
It started with the official Windsor Castle logo. “Projecting onto a cylindrical building needs some technical calibration,” Stewart explains. “So there’s this royal crest. Officers are thinking: ‘How pleasant – a royal tribute,’ and then abruptly a massive image of Jeffrey Epstein appears. A wave of shock goes through the officers around me, and they all pile into the hotel.”
Not Their First Protest
It wasn't their inaugural action; it wasn’t even their first action against Trump. Back in 2018, while working for Greenpeace, Stewart had flown a motorized paraglider over the hotel where the then-president was staying during a visit to Turnberry. The following year, police visited him that if he tried again, they couldn’t guarantee.
Confrontation with Police
But, the group's creators were not especially worried about detainment. “My nervous energy goes into wanting the protest works,” notes Oliver Knowles, another co-founder. “By the time the police arrive, the die is cast.” Officers was rapid, arriving in the lobby in under three minutes, “really pumped up”, he remembers. “They were in jumpsuits and caps. They had located the culprits. They charged up the stairs; they were briefed; tasked to safeguard the guest. Fortunately, no guns. But they were extremely tense when they entered the room. I had to say: ‘We should keep this really calm.’”
Stalling multiple police officers is a long time. It helped that officers were unsure which law to charge anyone. Upon finally entering the room, “one officer began reciting a section of the Town and Country Planning Act, which another officer asked him to stop because it wasn’t right.” Knowles and three other activists were subsequently detained for malicious communications, a stalking law. “and it’s very specific: its purpose is to address a really concerning offence. To throw it at a piece of journalism, displayed on a wall, in defense of the reputation of the president, appeared contrary to the intent of the legislation,” Stewart says archly. While the others were detained, he melted into the crowd, then soon after boarded a train leaving Windsor, contacting legal counsel.
A Second Arrest and Questioning
Some time in the middle of the night, as the detainees sat in cells at Maidenhead police station, police re-entered and re-arrested them, this time for public nuisance, deeming it a stronger charge. During interrogation, the only officers available belonged to the child protection squad – a twist that was palpable, given the subject matter of the protest involved Jeffrey Epstein. Knowles and his associates responded to every question with: “I have no comment.” Shortly after starting the interview, the officers slid over a photograph: “They asked, did you take the drawer from this bedside table?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Sir, do you know anyone who may have had reason to remove the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I anticipated the next move: a picture of a giant projector, ratchet-strapped to four drawers. Then, the officers struggled to maintain their composure.”
The Outcome
A little more than one month later, every charge were dropped.