🔗 Share this article What Happened Next: The Night Led By Donkeys Beamed Pictures Featuring Trump and Epstein on to Windsor Castle When plans were revealed for the former president's upcoming official trip, including a royal dinner at Windsor on 17 September 2025, the activist collective Led By Donkeys felt compelled to ensure it did not go without a statement. The gesture of offering a lavish welcome was viewed as particularly craven. Their subsequent creative protest proceeded with precision. A Deliberate Message Activists created a nine-minute film exploring Donald Trump’s relationship with notorious figure Jeffrey Epstein. It concluded: “The president of the United States was a longstanding associate of the nation's most infamous sex offender. His name is said to be referenced, numerous times, in the files related to the investigation into Epstein … Now that president, Donald Trump, is a guest within 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 adjacent Harte and Garter hotel, rooms advertised with “castle view” and, even more helpfully, “castle view superior”, according to group founder, Ben Stewart. Their equipment included a high-lumen 32,000-lumen projector. To broadcast sound, Stewart placed a Bluetooth speaker, concealed within a box of cereal, atop a garbage can outside. International press was assembled, their gaze fixed at the castle, growing restless as Trump was delayed. Their film, spread rapidly globally. “While the still pictures of Epstein and Trump spread like wildfire online,” Stewart says, “I doubt that persuades anyone of anything – it just makes Trump uneasy. Our documentary gives people a social object to share, implying: ‘There’s something significant to look at here.’ It was a piece of guerrilla journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was viewed 20m times.” The Reveal It started with the recognizable Windsor Castle logo. “Projecting onto the castle's round tower requires a little bit of mapping,” Stewart explains. “First appeared the royal coat of arms. Officers likely thought: ‘How pleasant – a royal tribute,’ and then abruptly a great big picture of Jeffrey Epstein appears. A wave of shock passed through the police in fluorescent jackets around me, and the police raced into the hotel.” A History of Activism This was not the group’s first rodeo; nor was it their first action against Trump. Back in 2018, during his time with 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. The Arrests However, the group's creators weren't especially worried about detainment. “My nervous energy goes into wanting the action to succeed,” says Oliver Knowles, another co-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 had located some protesters. They came roaring up the stairs; prepared; they were on a mission to safeguard the guest. Fortunately, no firearms. But they were very adrenalised upon entering the room. I had to say: ‘Let’s keep this calm.’” Delaying a large number of police officers for six minutes. It helped that they were unsure which law to charge anyone. Upon finally entering the room, “one officer started reading a section of the Town and Country Planning Act, which another officer told him to stop because it wasn’t right.” Knowles and three other activists were subsequently detained for malicious communication, a law related to harassment. “and it’s very specific: its purpose is to address a really concerning offence. Applying it to an act 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 slipped away, then soon after boarded a train out of Windsor, calling lawyers. An Ironic Interrogation Later in the middle of the night, as the detainees were in the cells at Maidenhead police station, police re-entered and re-arrested them, now for public nuisance, having decided more likely to succeed. When they came to be questioned, the only officers available were from the child protection unit – a twist that was not lost on anyone, given the focus of the protest involved Jeffrey Epstein. The activists just answered every question with: “No comment.” Shortly after starting the interview, the officers slid over a photo: “‘Mr Knowles, did you take the drawer from this bedside table?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Sir, do you know anybody else who may have had reason to remove the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I anticipated what was coming: an image of a giant projector, ratchet-strapped to four drawers. Then, the officers were finding it hard to maintain their composure.” The Outcome A little more than one month later, all charges was dismissed.
When plans were revealed for the former president's upcoming official trip, including a royal dinner at Windsor on 17 September 2025, the activist collective Led By Donkeys felt compelled to ensure it did not go without a statement. The gesture of offering a lavish welcome was viewed as particularly craven. Their subsequent creative protest proceeded with precision. A Deliberate Message Activists created a nine-minute film exploring Donald Trump’s relationship with notorious figure Jeffrey Epstein. It concluded: “The president of the United States was a longstanding associate of the nation's most infamous sex offender. His name is said to be referenced, numerous times, in the files related to the investigation into Epstein … Now that president, Donald Trump, is a guest within 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 adjacent Harte and Garter hotel, rooms advertised with “castle view” and, even more helpfully, “castle view superior”, according to group founder, Ben Stewart. Their equipment included a high-lumen 32,000-lumen projector. To broadcast sound, Stewart placed a Bluetooth speaker, concealed within a box of cereal, atop a garbage can outside. International press was assembled, their gaze fixed at the castle, growing restless as Trump was delayed. Their film, spread rapidly globally. “While the still pictures of Epstein and Trump spread like wildfire online,” Stewart says, “I doubt that persuades anyone of anything – it just makes Trump uneasy. Our documentary gives people a social object to share, implying: ‘There’s something significant to look at here.’ It was a piece of guerrilla journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was viewed 20m times.” The Reveal It started with the recognizable Windsor Castle logo. “Projecting onto the castle's round tower requires a little bit of mapping,” Stewart explains. “First appeared the royal coat of arms. Officers likely thought: ‘How pleasant – a royal tribute,’ and then abruptly a great big picture of Jeffrey Epstein appears. A wave of shock passed through the police in fluorescent jackets around me, and the police raced into the hotel.” A History of Activism This was not the group’s first rodeo; nor was it their first action against Trump. Back in 2018, during his time with 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. The Arrests However, the group's creators weren't especially worried about detainment. “My nervous energy goes into wanting the action to succeed,” says Oliver Knowles, another co-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 had located some protesters. They came roaring up the stairs; prepared; they were on a mission to safeguard the guest. Fortunately, no firearms. But they were very adrenalised upon entering the room. I had to say: ‘Let’s keep this calm.’” Delaying a large number of police officers for six minutes. It helped that they were unsure which law to charge anyone. Upon finally entering the room, “one officer started reading a section of the Town and Country Planning Act, which another officer told him to stop because it wasn’t right.” Knowles and three other activists were subsequently detained for malicious communication, a law related to harassment. “and it’s very specific: its purpose is to address a really concerning offence. Applying it to an act 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 slipped away, then soon after boarded a train out of Windsor, calling lawyers. An Ironic Interrogation Later in the middle of the night, as the detainees were in the cells at Maidenhead police station, police re-entered and re-arrested them, now for public nuisance, having decided more likely to succeed. When they came to be questioned, the only officers available were from the child protection unit – a twist that was not lost on anyone, given the focus of the protest involved Jeffrey Epstein. The activists just answered every question with: “No comment.” Shortly after starting the interview, the officers slid over a photo: “‘Mr Knowles, did you take the drawer from this bedside table?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Sir, do you know anybody else who may have had reason to remove the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I anticipated what was coming: an image of a giant projector, ratchet-strapped to four drawers. Then, the officers were finding it hard to maintain their composure.” The Outcome A little more than one month later, all charges was dismissed.