The Unfolding Events: The Evening The Activist Group Projected Images of Trump and Epstein onto Windsor Castle
When the announcement was made for Donald Trump’s upcoming official trip, 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 gesture of rolling out the red carpet seemed particularly craven. Their next art-activist event proceeded like clockwork.
A Provocative Film
Activists created a nine-minute film exploring Donald Trump’s relationship with notorious figure Jeffrey Epstein. It concluded: “The commander-in-chief of the United States was a longstanding associate of the nation's most infamous child sex trafficker. His name is said to be referenced, repeatedly, in documents from the investigation into that individual … Now that very man, Donald Trump, is sleeping here within Windsor Castle.” (For his part, Trump maintains he ended his friendship with Epstein long prior to Epstein’s first arrest and has consistently denied all allegations concerning Epstein.)
The Setup
The group had secured rooms in the adjacent Harte and Garter hotel, rooms advertised with views of the castle and, more crucially, superior castle views, according to a co-founder, Ben Stewart. They utilized a high-lumen 32,000-lumen projector. For audio, Stewart placed a wireless speaker, concealed inside a cereal box, on top of a public rubbish bin outside.
International press had gathered, staring at the castle, growing restless awaiting Trump's arrival. The film, however, gained traction everywhere. “Although photographs of Epstein and Trump went viral online,” Stewart notes, “I’m not sure that persuades anyone of anything – it simply makes Trump uncomfortable. The film we made gives people something tangible to share, implying: ‘This is something significant to look at here.’ We took a piece of guerrilla journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was seen by millions.”
The Reveal
It started with the official Windsor Castle logo. “It requires the castle's round tower requires a little bit of mapping,” Stewart states. “First appeared the royal coat of arms. Officers are thinking: ‘How pleasant – a royal tribute,’ and suddenly a great big picture of Jeffrey Epstein materializes. This electric jolt goes through the officers around me, and the police raced into the hotel.”
Not Their First Protest
This was not the group’s first rodeo; it wasn’t even their first effort against Trump. In 2018, while working for Greenpeace, Stewart had flown a motorized paraglider over the resort where the then-president was staying during a visit to Turnberry. A year later, officers warned him that any repeat, his safety wasn't assured.
Confrontation with Police
However, the activists were not overly concerned about arrest. “My nervous energy goes into ensuring the action to succeed,” says Oliver Knowles, another co-founder. “By the time the police make the intervention, the die is cast.” The police response was swift, reaching the hotel in under three minutes, “really pumped up”, he remembers. “They were in jumpsuits and baseball caps. They had located the culprits. They charged up the stairs; prepared; they were on a mission to protect the president. Thankfully, no guns. But they were extremely tense when they entered the room. I told them: ‘We should keep this really calm.’”
Stalling multiple police officers is a long time. The fact that officers were unsure under what law to charge anyone. Upon finally entering the room, “one officer started reading a section of the Town and Country Planning Act, before another told him to stop as it was incorrect.” Knowles and three additional activists were subsequently detained for malicious communications, a law related to harassment. “The law is precise: its purpose is to address a serious offence. To throw it at a piece of journalism, projected on to a wall, in defense of the reputation of the president, appeared against the spirit of the legislation,” Stewart remarks pointedly. As his colleagues were arrested, he melted into the crowd, then soon after boarded a train out of Windsor, contacting legal counsel.
An Ironic Interrogation
Some time that night, while the activists sat in cells at Maidenhead police station, police re-entered and arrested them again, now for causing a public nuisance, having decided a stronger charge. When they came to be questioned, the sole available interrogators were from the child protection squad – an irony which was palpable, given the subject matter of the protest involved Jeffrey Epstein. Knowles and his associates responded to all queries with: “I have no comment.” Shortly after starting the interview, police presented a photo: “‘Mr Knowles, did you remove the drawer from this bedside table?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Sir, 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, secured to four drawers. At that point, the officers were finding it hard to maintain their composure.”
The Outcome
A little more than a month later, all charges were dropped.
