🔗 Share this article The Aftermath: The Evening Led By Donkeys Beamed Images of Trump and Epstein onto Windsor Castle When plans were revealed for the former president's upcoming official trip, complete with a royal dinner at Windsor on September 17th, 2025, the activist collective Led By Donkeys was determined to ensure it did not go unprotested. The act of rolling out the red carpet was viewed as especially servile. Their subsequent art-activist event proceeded like clockwork. A Deliberate Message The group produced a nine-minute film detailing the connections with notorious figure Jeffrey Epstein. Its ending stated: “The president of the United States was a longstanding associate of the nation's most infamous child sex trafficker. He’s alleged to be mentioned, numerous times, in the files from the criminal probe into that individual … And now that president, Donald Trump, is a guest in Windsor Castle.” (For his part, Trump has stated he ended his friendship with Epstein years before Epstein’s first arrest and repeatedly refuted any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein.) The Setup The group had booked rooms in the nearby Harte and Garter hotel, rooms advertised with views of the castle and, even more helpfully, “castle view superior”, said group founder, Ben Stewart. Their equipment included a powerful 32,000-lumen projector. To broadcast sound, Stewart positioned a wireless speaker, concealed within a box of cereal, atop a garbage can outside. The world’s media had gathered, staring at the castle, becoming bored awaiting Trump's arrival. The film, however, spread rapidly globally. “Although photographs of Epstein and Trump went viral online,” Stewart says, “I’m not sure that persuades anyone of anything – it just makes Trump uneasy. Our documentary gives people 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 Reveal The film began with the recognizable Windsor Castle logo. “It requires the castle's round tower requires a little bit of mapping,” Stewart states. “First appeared the royal coat of arms. The police likely thought: ‘Ah, that’s nice – a royal tribute,’ and suddenly a great big picture of Jeffrey Epstein appears. A wave of shock passed through the police in fluorescent jackets around me, and they all pile into the hotel.” A History of Activism It wasn't the group’s first rodeo; nor was it their first action targeting Trump. Back in 2018, during his time with Greenpeace, Stewart had flown a paraglider near the hotel where the president was staying during a visit to Turnberry. A year later, police visited him that if he tried again, they couldn’t guarantee. The Arrests But, the group's creators weren't overly concerned about detainment. “All my anxiety goes into wanting the action to succeed,” notes Oliver Knowles, another co-founder. “By the time the police arrive, the message is already out.” Officers was rapid, reaching the hotel in under three minutes, highly agitated, he remembers. “Wearing jumpsuits and caps. They had located some protesters. They charged up the stairs; prepared; they were on a mission to safeguard the guest. Thankfully, no guns. But they were very adrenalised upon entering the room. I told them: ‘We should keep this really calm.’” Delaying multiple police officers for six minutes. It helped that they were unsure which law to charge anyone. When they finally entered the room, “a policeman 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 additional activists were then arrested for malicious communications, a law related to harassment. “The law is precise: it’s designed to deal with a serious 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 remarks pointedly. While the others were detained, he melted into the crowd, shortly thereafter boarded a train leaving Windsor, contacting legal counsel. An Ironic Interrogation Later that night, as the detainees were in the cells at Maidenhead police station, police re-entered and arrested them again, now for causing a public nuisance, deeming it a stronger charge. When they came to be questioned, the only officers available were from the child protection unit – an irony that was palpable, given the focus of the protest concerned alleged sex offender. The activists just answered every question with: “No comment.” A few minutes into the interview, police presented a photograph: “‘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 giant projector, ratchet-strapped to several drawers. At that point, the officers struggled to maintain their composure.” The Outcome Just over one month later, all charges were dropped.
When plans were revealed for the former president's upcoming official trip, complete with a royal dinner at Windsor on September 17th, 2025, the activist collective Led By Donkeys was determined to ensure it did not go unprotested. The act of rolling out the red carpet was viewed as especially servile. Their subsequent art-activist event proceeded like clockwork. A Deliberate Message The group produced a nine-minute film detailing the connections with notorious figure Jeffrey Epstein. Its ending stated: “The president of the United States was a longstanding associate of the nation's most infamous child sex trafficker. He’s alleged to be mentioned, numerous times, in the files from the criminal probe into that individual … And now that president, Donald Trump, is a guest in Windsor Castle.” (For his part, Trump has stated he ended his friendship with Epstein years before Epstein’s first arrest and repeatedly refuted any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein.) The Setup The group had booked rooms in the nearby Harte and Garter hotel, rooms advertised with views of the castle and, even more helpfully, “castle view superior”, said group founder, Ben Stewart. Their equipment included a powerful 32,000-lumen projector. To broadcast sound, Stewart positioned a wireless speaker, concealed within a box of cereal, atop a garbage can outside. The world’s media had gathered, staring at the castle, becoming bored awaiting Trump's arrival. The film, however, spread rapidly globally. “Although photographs of Epstein and Trump went viral online,” Stewart says, “I’m not sure that persuades anyone of anything – it just makes Trump uneasy. Our documentary gives people 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 Reveal The film began with the recognizable Windsor Castle logo. “It requires the castle's round tower requires a little bit of mapping,” Stewart states. “First appeared the royal coat of arms. The police likely thought: ‘Ah, that’s nice – a royal tribute,’ and suddenly a great big picture of Jeffrey Epstein appears. A wave of shock passed through the police in fluorescent jackets around me, and they all pile into the hotel.” A History of Activism It wasn't the group’s first rodeo; nor was it their first action targeting Trump. Back in 2018, during his time with Greenpeace, Stewart had flown a paraglider near the hotel where the president was staying during a visit to Turnberry. A year later, police visited him that if he tried again, they couldn’t guarantee. The Arrests But, the group's creators weren't overly concerned about detainment. “All my anxiety goes into wanting the action to succeed,” notes Oliver Knowles, another co-founder. “By the time the police arrive, the message is already out.” Officers was rapid, reaching the hotel in under three minutes, highly agitated, he remembers. “Wearing jumpsuits and caps. They had located some protesters. They charged up the stairs; prepared; they were on a mission to safeguard the guest. Thankfully, no guns. But they were very adrenalised upon entering the room. I told them: ‘We should keep this really calm.’” Delaying multiple police officers for six minutes. It helped that they were unsure which law to charge anyone. When they finally entered the room, “a policeman 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 additional activists were then arrested for malicious communications, a law related to harassment. “The law is precise: it’s designed to deal with a serious 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 remarks pointedly. While the others were detained, he melted into the crowd, shortly thereafter boarded a train leaving Windsor, contacting legal counsel. An Ironic Interrogation Later that night, as the detainees were in the cells at Maidenhead police station, police re-entered and arrested them again, now for causing a public nuisance, deeming it a stronger charge. When they came to be questioned, the only officers available were from the child protection unit – an irony that was palpable, given the focus of the protest concerned alleged sex offender. The activists just answered every question with: “No comment.” A few minutes into the interview, police presented a photograph: “‘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 giant projector, ratchet-strapped to several drawers. At that point, the officers struggled to maintain their composure.” The Outcome Just over one month later, all charges were dropped.