The Unfolding Events: The Night Led By Donkeys Projected Pictures Featuring Trump and Epstein onto Windsor Castle
When the announcement was made for the former president's upcoming official trip, including a Windsor Castle banquet on 17 September 2025, the activist collective known as Led By Donkeys felt compelled to ensure it did not go unprotested. The gesture of rolling out the red carpet was viewed as particularly craven. Their next art-activist event unfolded like clockwork.
A Deliberate Message
The group produced a nine-minute film detailing Donald Trump’s relationship with notorious figure Jeffrey Epstein. It concluded: “The president 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 mentioned, 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 first arrest and repeatedly refuted all allegations in relation to Epstein.)
The Setup
The activists had booked rooms in the adjacent Harte and Garter hotel, which boast views of the castle and, more crucially, superior castle views, said a co-founder, Ben Stewart. They utilized a powerful projector. For audio, Stewart placed a wireless speaker, concealed within a box of cereal, on top of a public rubbish bin outside.
The world’s media was assembled, their gaze fixed at the castle, growing restless as Trump was delayed. The film, however, gained traction globally. “Although photographs of Epstein and Trump went viral online,” Stewart notes, “I’m not sure that convinces people of anything – it just makes Trump uncomfortable. Our documentary provides viewers a social object to share, saying: ‘This is something really serious to look at here.’ We took a piece of guerrilla journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was seen 20m times.”
The Moment of Projection
The film began with the official Windsor Castle logo. “Projecting onto the castle's round tower requires a little bit of mapping,” Stewart states. “First appeared this royal crest. The police are thinking: ‘How pleasant – a royal tribute,’ and then abruptly a great big picture of Jeffrey Epstein materializes. A wave of shock passed through the officers nearby, and the police all pile into the hotel.”
A History of Activism
This was not their inaugural action; it wasn’t even their first action against Trump. Back in 2018, during his time with Greenpeace, Stewart piloted a paraglider near the resort where the president was staying in Scotland. A year later, officers warned him that any repeat, they couldn’t guarantee.
Confrontation with Police
However, the group's creators were not overly concerned about detainment. “My nervous energy goes into wanting the protest works,” notes Oliver Knowles, a fellow founder. “By the time the police arrive, the die is cast.” Officers was rapid, reaching the hotel in under three minutes, “really pumped up”, Knowles recalls. “They were in jumpsuits and caps. They had located some protesters. They came roaring up the stairs; they were briefed; they were on a mission to safeguard the guest. Thankfully, no guns. But they were extremely tense upon entering the room. I had to say: ‘We should keep this really calm.’”
Stalling a large number of police officers for six minutes. It helped that officers didn’t know under what law to make arrests. Upon finally entering the room, “one officer started reading a clause of the Town and Country Planning Act, before another told him to stop as it was incorrect.” Knowles and three additional team members were subsequently detained for malicious communication, a law related to harassment. “The law is precise: it’s designed to address a serious offence. To throw it at a piece of journalism, displayed on a wall, in defense of the reputation of the president, seemed contrary to the intent of the legislation,” Stewart says archly. While the others were detained, he melted into the crowd, shortly thereafter boarded a train out of Windsor, calling lawyers.
A Second Arrest and Questioning
Later that night, while the activists sat in cells at Maidenhead police station, police re-entered and re-arrested them, this time for causing a public nuisance, having decided more likely to succeed. When they came to be questioned, the sole available interrogators belonged to the child protection squad – a twist which was palpable, given the focus of the protest concerned alleged sex offender. The activists responded to every question with: “No comment.” A few minutes into the interview, the officers slid over a photograph: “They asked, did you remove the drawer from this nightstand?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Mr Knowles, do you know anyone who may have had cause to take the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I knew the next move: a picture of a giant projector, secured to four drawers. Then, the detectives struggled to keep a straight face.”
The Final Result
A little more than a month later, every charge were dropped.
