The Unfolding Events: The Night The Activist Group Projected Pictures Featuring Trump and Epstein onto Windsor Castle
When plans were revealed for the former president's second state visit, including a Windsor Castle banquet on September 17th, 2025, the activist collective Led By Donkeys felt compelled 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 unfolded with precision.
A Provocative Film
The group produced a nine-minute film exploring the connections with notorious figure Jeffrey Epstein. Its ending stated: “The commander-in-chief of the United States was a long-time close friend of the nation's most infamous sex offender. He’s alleged to be referenced, repeatedly, in the files from the criminal probe 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 has consistently denied all allegations concerning Epstein.)
Preparations and Execution
The group had booked rooms in the adjacent Harte and Garter hotel, which boast views of the castle and, even more helpfully, superior castle views, said group founder, Ben Stewart. They utilized a high-lumen projector. For audio, Stewart placed a wireless speaker, hidden within a box of cereal, atop a public rubbish bin outside.
International press had gathered, their gaze fixed at the castle, growing restless awaiting Trump's arrival. Their film, spread rapidly globally. “While photographs of Epstein and Trump went viral online,” Stewart notes, “I’m not sure that convinces people of anything – it just makes Trump uncomfortable. The film we made provides viewers something tangible 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 Moment of Projection
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 this royal crest. The police likely thought: ‘How pleasant – the royal family,’ and then abruptly a massive image of Jeffrey Epstein materializes. This electric jolt passed through the officers around me, and they raced into the hotel.”
A History of Activism
It wasn't their inaugural action; nor was it their first effort against Trump. Back in 2018, while working for Greenpeace, Stewart piloted a paraglider over the hotel where the then-president was staying in Scotland. A year later, officers warned him that if he tried again, they couldn’t guarantee.
Confrontation with Police
But, the group's creators weren't especially worried about arrest. “All my anxiety goes into wanting the protest works,” says Oliver Knowles, a fellow founder. “By the time the police arrive, the die is cast.” The police response was swift, arriving in the lobby in under three minutes, highly agitated, he remembers. “Wearing jumpsuits and baseball caps. They had located some protesters. They charged up the stairs; they were briefed; they were on a mission to protect the president. Fortunately, no firearms. But they were very adrenalised upon entering the room. I had to say: ‘Let’s keep this really calm.’”
Stalling a large number of police officers for six minutes. It helped that they were unsure which law to make arrests. When they finally entered the room, “one officer started reading a clause of the Town and Country Planning Act, which another officer told him to stop as it was incorrect.” Knowles and three additional team members were subsequently detained for malicious communications, a stalking law. “The law is precise: it’s designed to address a serious offence. To throw it at 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, shortly thereafter boarded a train out of Windsor, contacting legal counsel.
A Second Arrest and Questioning
Some time that night, while the activists were in the cells at Maidenhead police station, police re-entered and arrested them again, now for public nuisance, having decided a stronger charge. When they came to be questioned, the only officers available belonged to the child protection squad – a twist which was not lost on anyone, given the subject matter of the protest concerned alleged sex offender. The activists responded to all queries with: “I have no comment.” Shortly after starting the interview, the officers slid over a photograph: “‘Mr Knowles, did you take the drawer from this nightstand?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Mr Knowles, do you know anybody else who may have had cause to take the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I knew the next move: an image of a giant projector, ratchet-strapped to several drawers. Then, the detectives struggled to maintain their composure.”
The Final Result
A little more than a month later, every charge was dismissed.
