The Aftermath: The Evening The Activist Group Projected Pictures Featuring Trump and Epstein on to Windsor Castle
When the announcement was made for Donald Trump’s second state visit, complete with a royal dinner at Windsor on September 17th, 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 next art-activist event unfolded with precision.
A Provocative Film
The group produced a short documentary detailing the connections with notorious figure Jeffrey Epstein. Its ending stated: “The commander-in-chief of the United States was a longstanding associate of the nation's most infamous child sex trafficker. He’s alleged to be mentioned, repeatedly, in documents from the criminal probe into that individual … Now that very man, Donald Trump, is a guest in Windsor Castle.” (In response, Trump maintains he fell out with Epstein long prior to Epstein’s initial legal troubles and repeatedly refuted any wrongdoing concerning Epstein.)
The Setup
The group had secured rooms in the nearby Harte and Garter hotel, which boast “castle view” and, more crucially, “castle view superior”, according to a co-founder, Ben Stewart. Their equipment included a powerful projector. To broadcast sound, Stewart placed a Bluetooth speaker, hidden inside a cereal box, on top of a public rubbish bin outside.
The world’s media had gathered, staring at the castle, becoming bored as Trump was delayed. Their film, gained traction globally. “While the still pictures of Epstein and Trump went viral online,” Stewart notes, “I doubt that persuades anyone of anything – it just makes Trump uneasy. The film we made gives people a social object to share, saying: ‘This is something significant to look at here.’ It was 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. “Projecting onto a cylindrical building requires some technical calibration,” Stewart explains. “So there’s the royal coat of arms. Officers likely thought: ‘How pleasant – the royal family,’ and suddenly a great big picture of Jeffrey Epstein appears. This electric jolt passed through the police in fluorescent jackets nearby, and the police all pile into the hotel.”
A History of Activism
It wasn't the group’s first rodeo; it wasn’t even their first action targeting Trump. In 2018, while working for Greenpeace, Stewart had flown a motorized paraglider over the resort where the president was staying in Scotland. The following year, officers warned him that if he tried again, they couldn’t guarantee.
Confrontation with Police
But, the group's creators were not especially worried about arrest. “All my anxiety is channelled into wanting the action to succeed,” notes Oliver Knowles, another co-founder. “Once the police arrive, the message is already out.” The police response was rapid, reaching the hotel within three minutes, “really pumped up”, he remembers. “They were in jumpsuits and caps. They had located some protesters. They charged up the stairs; prepared; tasked to protect the president. Thankfully, no guns. But they were extremely tense upon entering the room. I told them: ‘Let’s keep this calm.’”
Stalling a large number of police officers for six minutes. The fact that they didn’t know under what law to make arrests. Upon finally entering the room, “one officer started reading a section of the Town and Country Planning Act, before another asked him to stop because it wasn’t right.” Knowles and three additional activists were subsequently detained for malicious communication, a stalking law. “The law is precise: it’s designed to address a really concerning offence. Applying it to a piece of journalism, projected on to a wall, to protect the reputation of the president, appeared against the spirit of the legislation,” Stewart remarks pointedly. While the others were detained, he slipped away, shortly thereafter was on a train leaving Windsor, contacting legal counsel.
A Second Arrest and Questioning
Some time that 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 more likely to succeed. During interrogation, the sole available interrogators were from the child protection squad – an irony which was palpable, given the focus of the protest involved alleged sex offender. The activists just answered all queries with: “No comment.” A few minutes into the interview, the officers slid over a photograph: “‘Mr Knowles, 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 large projector, ratchet-strapped to several drawers. Then, the detectives struggled to maintain their composure.”
The Outcome
A little more than a month later, every charge were dropped.
