🔗 Share this article The Aftermath: The Evening The Activist Group Beamed Pictures Featuring Trump and Epstein onto 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 known as Led By Donkeys was determined not to let it pass unprotested. The gesture of rolling out the red carpet was viewed as especially servile. Their subsequent art-activist event proceeded with precision. A Deliberate Message Activists created a nine-minute film detailing the connections with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. It concluded: “The president of the United States is alleged to have been a longstanding associate of America’s most notorious child sex trafficker. He’s alleged to be referenced, numerous times, in the files related to the criminal probe into that individual … And now that president, Donald Trump, is sleeping here in Windsor Castle.” (For his part, Trump has stated he ended his friendship with Epstein long prior to Epstein’s initial legal troubles and repeatedly refuted all allegations in relation to Epstein.) Preparations and Execution The group had secured rooms in the nearby Harte and Garter hotel, which boast views of the castle and, even more helpfully, “castle view superior”, said a co-founder, Ben Stewart. They utilized a powerful projector. For audio, Stewart placed a Bluetooth speaker, concealed inside a cereal box, atop a public rubbish bin outside. International press had gathered, their gaze fixed at the castle, growing restless awaiting Trump's arrival. The film, however, gained traction everywhere. “While the still pictures of Epstein and Trump went viral online,” Stewart says, “I doubt that convinces people of anything – it simply makes Trump uneasy. The film we made gives people something tangible to share, saying: ‘There’s something significant 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 some technical calibration,” Stewart explains. “So there’s the royal coat of arms. Officers likely thought: ‘Ah, that’s nice – a royal tribute,’ and then abruptly a massive image of Jeffrey Epstein materializes. A wave of shock goes through the police in fluorescent jackets around me, and the police all pile into the hotel.” A History of Activism It wasn't the group’s first rodeo; nor was it their first action against Trump. In 2018, during his time with Greenpeace, Stewart had flown a motorized paraglider near the hotel where the then-president was staying in Scotland. The following year, police visited him that any repeat, his safety wasn't assured. Confrontation with Police But, the activists weren't overly concerned about arrest. “My nervous energy is channelled into ensuring the protest works,” notes Oliver Knowles, another co-founder. “Once the police make the intervention, the die is cast.” Officers was rapid, reaching the hotel in under three minutes, “really pumped up”, Knowles recalls. “They were in tactical gear and caps. They had located some protesters. They charged up the stairs; they were briefed; they were on a mission to safeguard the guest. Thankfully, no guns. But they were extremely tense when they entered the room. I told them: ‘Let’s keep this calm.’” Delaying multiple police officers is a long time. It helped that they were unsure under what law to charge anyone. Upon finally entering the room, “one officer began reciting a section of the Town and Country Planning Act, before another told him to stop because it wasn’t right.” Knowles and three additional team members were subsequently detained for malicious communication, a stalking law. “The law is precise: its purpose is to address a really concerning offence. To throw it at a piece of journalism, displayed on a wall, to protect the reputation of the president, appeared contrary to the intent of the legislation,” Stewart says archly. As his colleagues were arrested, he slipped away, shortly thereafter boarded a train out of Windsor, calling lawyers. An Ironic Interrogation Later that night, while the activists sat in cells at Maidenhead police station, officers came in and arrested them again, this time 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 palpable, given the subject matter of the protest involved Jeffrey Epstein. Knowles and his associates just answered every question with: “I have no comment.” Shortly after starting the interview, police presented a photograph: “They asked, did you remove the drawer from this nightstand?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Mr Knowles, 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, secured to four drawers. Then, the officers struggled to keep a straight face.” The Outcome Just over a 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 known as Led By Donkeys was determined not to let it pass unprotested. The gesture of rolling out the red carpet was viewed as especially servile. Their subsequent art-activist event proceeded with precision. A Deliberate Message Activists created a nine-minute film detailing the connections with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. It concluded: “The president of the United States is alleged to have been a longstanding associate of America’s most notorious child sex trafficker. He’s alleged to be referenced, numerous times, in the files related to the criminal probe into that individual … And now that president, Donald Trump, is sleeping here in Windsor Castle.” (For his part, Trump has stated he ended his friendship with Epstein long prior to Epstein’s initial legal troubles and repeatedly refuted all allegations in relation to Epstein.) Preparations and Execution The group had secured rooms in the nearby Harte and Garter hotel, which boast views of the castle and, even more helpfully, “castle view superior”, said a co-founder, Ben Stewart. They utilized a powerful projector. For audio, Stewart placed a Bluetooth speaker, concealed inside a cereal box, atop a public rubbish bin outside. International press had gathered, their gaze fixed at the castle, growing restless awaiting Trump's arrival. The film, however, gained traction everywhere. “While the still pictures of Epstein and Trump went viral online,” Stewart says, “I doubt that convinces people of anything – it simply makes Trump uneasy. The film we made gives people something tangible to share, saying: ‘There’s something significant 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 some technical calibration,” Stewart explains. “So there’s the royal coat of arms. Officers likely thought: ‘Ah, that’s nice – a royal tribute,’ and then abruptly a massive image of Jeffrey Epstein materializes. A wave of shock goes through the police in fluorescent jackets around me, and the police all pile into the hotel.” A History of Activism It wasn't the group’s first rodeo; nor was it their first action against Trump. In 2018, during his time with Greenpeace, Stewart had flown a motorized paraglider near the hotel where the then-president was staying in Scotland. The following year, police visited him that any repeat, his safety wasn't assured. Confrontation with Police But, the activists weren't overly concerned about arrest. “My nervous energy is channelled into ensuring the protest works,” notes Oliver Knowles, another co-founder. “Once the police make the intervention, the die is cast.” Officers was rapid, reaching the hotel in under three minutes, “really pumped up”, Knowles recalls. “They were in tactical gear and caps. They had located some protesters. They charged up the stairs; they were briefed; they were on a mission to safeguard the guest. Thankfully, no guns. But they were extremely tense when they entered the room. I told them: ‘Let’s keep this calm.’” Delaying multiple police officers is a long time. It helped that they were unsure under what law to charge anyone. Upon finally entering the room, “one officer began reciting a section of the Town and Country Planning Act, before another told him to stop because it wasn’t right.” Knowles and three additional team members were subsequently detained for malicious communication, a stalking law. “The law is precise: its purpose is to address a really concerning offence. To throw it at a piece of journalism, displayed on a wall, to protect the reputation of the president, appeared contrary to the intent of the legislation,” Stewart says archly. As his colleagues were arrested, he slipped away, shortly thereafter boarded a train out of Windsor, calling lawyers. An Ironic Interrogation Later that night, while the activists sat in cells at Maidenhead police station, officers came in and arrested them again, this time 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 palpable, given the subject matter of the protest involved Jeffrey Epstein. Knowles and his associates just answered every question with: “I have no comment.” Shortly after starting the interview, police presented a photograph: “They asked, did you remove the drawer from this nightstand?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Mr Knowles, 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, secured to four drawers. Then, the officers struggled to keep a straight face.” The Outcome Just over a month later, all charges was dismissed.