🔗 Share this article The Aftermath: The Evening Led By Donkeys Beamed Images of Trump and Epstein on to Windsor Castle When the announcement was made for the former president's second state visit, complete with a royal dinner at Windsor on 17 September 2025, the protest group Led By Donkeys felt compelled not to let it pass without a statement. The act of rolling out the red carpet seemed particularly craven. Their subsequent creative protest unfolded with precision. A Deliberate Message The group produced a short documentary 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 child sex trafficker. His name is said to be referenced, repeatedly, in the files related to the criminal probe into Epstein … Now that president, Donald Trump, is sleeping here in Windsor Castle.” (In response, Trump has stated he ended his friendship with Epstein years before Epstein’s initial legal troubles and has consistently denied all allegations in relation to Epstein.) Preparations and Execution The group had secured rooms in the adjacent Harte and Garter hotel, rooms advertised with views of the castle and, even more helpfully, “castle view superior”, said a co-founder, Ben Stewart. Their equipment included a powerful 32,000-lumen projector. To broadcast sound, Stewart placed a wireless speaker, concealed within a box of cereal, atop a public rubbish bin outside. International press was assembled, staring at the castle, growing restless awaiting Trump's arrival. The film, however, spread rapidly everywhere. “While the still pictures of Epstein and Trump went viral online,” Stewart says, “I’m not sure that persuades anyone of anything – it simply makes Trump uneasy. The film we made provides viewers something tangible to share, saying: ‘This is something really serious to examine here.’ It was a piece of guerrilla journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was viewed 20m times.” The Moment of Projection The film began with the recognizable Windsor Castle logo. “It requires a cylindrical building requires some technical calibration,” Stewart states. “First appeared this royal crest. The police are thinking: ‘Ah, that’s nice – a royal tribute,’ and then abruptly a great big picture of Jeffrey Epstein appears. This electric jolt goes through the police in fluorescent jackets nearby, and the police all pile into the hotel.” Not Their First Protest This was not their inaugural action; nor was it their first action targeting Trump. Back in 2018, during his time with Greenpeace, Stewart had flown a paraglider near the resort where the president was staying during a visit to Turnberry. The following year, police visited him that if he tried again, they couldn’t guarantee. The Arrests But, the group's creators were not overly concerned about arrest. “My nervous energy is channelled 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 swift, arriving in the lobby within three minutes, highly agitated, Knowles recalls. “They were in tactical gear and baseball caps. They’d finally found the culprits. They came roaring up the stairs; prepared; tasked to safeguard the guest. Thankfully, no firearms. But they were extremely tense when they entered the room. I had to say: ‘We should keep this really calm.’” Delaying multiple police officers is a long time. It helped that they didn’t know which 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 because it wasn’t right.” Knowles and three other activists were subsequently detained for malicious communications, a stalking law. “and it’s very specific: it’s designed to address a serious offence. Applying it to an act of journalism, projected on to a wall, in defense of the reputation of the president, seemed contrary to the intent of the legislation,” Stewart says archly. As his colleagues were arrested, he slipped away, then soon after boarded a train leaving Windsor, contacting legal counsel. An Ironic Interrogation 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, deeming it a stronger charge. During interrogation, the sole available interrogators belonged to the child protection unit – an irony which was palpable, given the subject matter of the protest concerned alleged sex offender. The activists responded to all queries with: “No comment.” Shortly after starting the interview, police presented a photograph: “‘Mr Knowles, did you remove 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: an image of a large projector, ratchet-strapped to several drawers. At that point, the detectives were finding it hard to keep a straight face.” The Final Result Just over one month later, all charges were dropped.
When the announcement was made for the former president's second state visit, complete with a royal dinner at Windsor on 17 September 2025, the protest group Led By Donkeys felt compelled not to let it pass without a statement. The act of rolling out the red carpet seemed particularly craven. Their subsequent creative protest unfolded with precision. A Deliberate Message The group produced a short documentary 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 child sex trafficker. His name is said to be referenced, repeatedly, in the files related to the criminal probe into Epstein … Now that president, Donald Trump, is sleeping here in Windsor Castle.” (In response, Trump has stated he ended his friendship with Epstein years before Epstein’s initial legal troubles and has consistently denied all allegations in relation to Epstein.) Preparations and Execution The group had secured rooms in the adjacent Harte and Garter hotel, rooms advertised with views of the castle and, even more helpfully, “castle view superior”, said a co-founder, Ben Stewart. Their equipment included a powerful 32,000-lumen projector. To broadcast sound, Stewart placed a wireless speaker, concealed within a box of cereal, atop a public rubbish bin outside. International press was assembled, staring at the castle, growing restless awaiting Trump's arrival. The film, however, spread rapidly everywhere. “While the still pictures of Epstein and Trump went viral online,” Stewart says, “I’m not sure that persuades anyone of anything – it simply makes Trump uneasy. The film we made provides viewers something tangible to share, saying: ‘This is something really serious to examine here.’ It was a piece of guerrilla journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was viewed 20m times.” The Moment of Projection The film began with the recognizable Windsor Castle logo. “It requires a cylindrical building requires some technical calibration,” Stewart states. “First appeared this royal crest. The police are thinking: ‘Ah, that’s nice – a royal tribute,’ and then abruptly a great big picture of Jeffrey Epstein appears. This electric jolt goes through the police in fluorescent jackets nearby, and the police all pile into the hotel.” Not Their First Protest This was not their inaugural action; nor was it their first action targeting Trump. Back in 2018, during his time with Greenpeace, Stewart had flown a paraglider near the resort where the president was staying during a visit to Turnberry. The following year, police visited him that if he tried again, they couldn’t guarantee. The Arrests But, the group's creators were not overly concerned about arrest. “My nervous energy is channelled 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 swift, arriving in the lobby within three minutes, highly agitated, Knowles recalls. “They were in tactical gear and baseball caps. They’d finally found the culprits. They came roaring up the stairs; prepared; tasked to safeguard the guest. Thankfully, no firearms. But they were extremely tense when they entered the room. I had to say: ‘We should keep this really calm.’” Delaying multiple police officers is a long time. It helped that they didn’t know which 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 because it wasn’t right.” Knowles and three other activists were subsequently detained for malicious communications, a stalking law. “and it’s very specific: it’s designed to address a serious offence. Applying it to an act of journalism, projected on to a wall, in defense of the reputation of the president, seemed contrary to the intent of the legislation,” Stewart says archly. As his colleagues were arrested, he slipped away, then soon after boarded a train leaving Windsor, contacting legal counsel. An Ironic Interrogation 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, deeming it a stronger charge. During interrogation, the sole available interrogators belonged to the child protection unit – an irony which was palpable, given the subject matter of the protest concerned alleged sex offender. The activists responded to all queries with: “No comment.” Shortly after starting the interview, police presented a photograph: “‘Mr Knowles, did you remove 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: an image of a large projector, ratchet-strapped to several drawers. At that point, the detectives were finding it hard to keep a straight face.” The Final Result Just over one month later, all charges were dropped.