What Happened Next: The Evening Led By Donkeys Beamed Images of Trump and Epstein onto 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 known as Led By Donkeys was determined not to let it pass without a statement. The gesture of offering a lavish welcome seemed especially servile. Their subsequent art-activist event unfolded with precision.
A Provocative Film
The group produced a nine-minute film detailing Donald Trump’s relationship with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. It concluded: “The commander-in-chief 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 documents related to the criminal probe into Epstein … And now that very man, Donald Trump, is sleeping here within Windsor Castle.” (In response, Trump maintains he fell out with Epstein long prior to Epstein’s first arrest and repeatedly refuted any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein.)
Preparations and Execution
The activists had booked rooms in the nearby Harte and Garter hotel, rooms advertised with “castle view” and, more crucially, “castle view superior”, according to a co-founder, Ben Stewart. Their equipment included a powerful projector. For audio, Stewart positioned a Bluetooth speaker, hidden within a box of cereal, on top of a garbage can outside.
International press had gathered, staring at the castle, becoming bored as Trump was delayed. The film, however, spread rapidly globally. “While the still pictures of Epstein and Trump spread like wildfire online,” Stewart notes, “I’m not sure that convinces people of anything – it just makes Trump uneasy. The film we made provides viewers a social object to share, implying: ‘This is something really serious to look at here.’ We took a piece of guerrilla journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was seen by millions.”
The Reveal
The film began with the recognizable Windsor Castle logo. “It requires a cylindrical building needs a little bit of mapping,” Stewart states. “First appeared this royal crest. Officers are thinking: ‘How pleasant – the royal family,’ and suddenly a great big picture of Jeffrey Epstein appears. A wave of shock goes through the officers around me, and the police raced into the hotel.”
Not Their First Protest
It wasn't the group’s first rodeo; it wasn’t even their first action against Trump. In 2018, during his time with Greenpeace, Stewart piloted a paraglider over the hotel where the president was staying during a visit to Turnberry. A year later, police visited him that if he tried again, his safety wasn't assured.
Confrontation with Police
However, the group's creators were not especially worried about detainment. “My nervous energy is channelled into ensuring the protest works,” says Oliver Knowles, another co-founder. “By the time the police arrive, the die is cast.” The police response was rapid, reaching the hotel in under three minutes, highly agitated, he remembers. “They were in tactical gear and baseball caps. They’d finally found the culprits. They charged up the stairs; they were briefed; they were on a mission to safeguard the guest. Fortunately, no guns. But they were very adrenalised when they entered the room. I had to say: ‘We should keep this really calm.’”
Stalling multiple police officers for six minutes. It helped that officers were unsure under what law to make arrests. When they finally entered the room, “one officer began reciting a section of the Town and Country Planning Act, before another asked him to stop because it wasn’t right.” Knowles and three other activists were subsequently detained for malicious communications, a law related to harassment. “The law is precise: its purpose is to deal with a really concerning offence. Applying it to an act of journalism, displayed on a wall, in defense of the reputation of the president, appeared contrary to the intent of the legislation,” Stewart remarks pointedly. While the others were detained, he melted into the crowd, shortly thereafter was on a train out of Windsor, contacting legal counsel.
A Second Arrest and Questioning
Later that night, while the activists were in the cells at Maidenhead police station, officers came in and arrested them again, 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 – an irony that was palpable, given the subject matter of the protest involved Jeffrey Epstein. The activists responded to every question with: “I have no comment.” A few minutes into the interview, the officers slid over a photo: “‘Mr Knowles, 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, ratchet-strapped to several drawers. Then, the detectives struggled to maintain their composure.”
The Outcome
Just over one month later, all charges were dropped.
