The Aftermath: The Evening The Activist Group Projected Pictures Featuring Trump and Epstein onto Windsor Castle
When the announcement was made for the former president's second state visit, including a royal dinner at Windsor on September 17th, 2025, the protest group known as Led By Donkeys was determined to ensure it did not go unprotested. The act of rolling out the red carpet was viewed as particularly craven. Their subsequent creative protest unfolded like clockwork.
A Deliberate Message
Activists created a nine-minute film exploring Donald Trump’s relationship with notorious figure Jeffrey Epstein. It concluded: “The president of the United States was a long-time close friend of America’s most notorious child sex trafficker. His name is said to be referenced, numerous times, in documents from the investigation into Epstein … Now that president, Donald Trump, is a guest in Windsor Castle.” (For his part, Trump maintains he ended his friendship with Epstein years before Epstein’s initial legal troubles and repeatedly refuted any wrongdoing concerning Epstein.)
Preparations and Execution
The group had booked rooms in the nearby Harte and Garter hotel, which boast “castle view” and, even more helpfully, superior castle views, said group founder, Ben Stewart. They utilized a high-lumen projector. For audio, Stewart positioned a Bluetooth speaker, hidden within a box of cereal, atop a public rubbish bin outside.
International press had gathered, staring at the castle, growing restless as Trump was delayed. 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 just makes Trump uneasy. The film we made gives people a social object to share, implying: ‘There’s something really serious to look at here.’ We took a piece of guerrilla journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was viewed by millions.”
The Moment of Projection
The film began with the recognizable Windsor Castle logo. “Projecting onto the castle's round tower needs some technical calibration,” Stewart explains. “First appeared this royal crest. Officers likely thought: ‘Ah, that’s nice – the royal family,’ and then abruptly a massive image of Jeffrey Epstein materializes. A wave of shock passed through the officers nearby, and the police raced into the hotel.”
Not Their First Protest
This was not their inaugural action; nor was it their first action targeting Trump. Back in 2018, during his time with Greenpeace, Stewart had flown a paraglider over the hotel where the then-president was staying in Scotland. A year later, police visited him that any repeat, they couldn’t guarantee.
The Arrests
But, the group's creators were not overly concerned about arrest. “All my anxiety is channelled into wanting the action to succeed,” 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. “Wearing jumpsuits and baseball caps. They’d finally found the culprits. They charged up the stairs; prepared; they were on a mission to protect the president. Fortunately, no guns. But they were extremely tense when they entered the room. I told them: ‘Let’s keep this calm.’”
Stalling multiple police officers for six minutes. The fact 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, which another officer told him to stop as it was incorrect.” Knowles and three other activists were subsequently detained for malicious communications, a law related to harassment. “and it’s very specific: its purpose is 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 remarks pointedly. As his colleagues were arrested, he melted into the crowd, then soon after boarded a train out of Windsor, contacting legal counsel.
A Second Arrest and Questioning
Later in the middle of the night, while the activists sat in cells at Maidenhead police station, officers came in and arrested them again, this time for causing a public nuisance, deeming it a stronger charge. During interrogation, the only officers available were from the child protection squad – an irony which was palpable, given the focus of the protest involved alleged sex offender. The activists responded to every question with: “I have no comment.” A few minutes into the interview, police presented a photograph: “They asked, 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 anticipated what was coming: a picture of a giant projector, ratchet-strapped to several drawers. At that point, the officers were finding it hard to maintain their composure.”
The Final Result
A little more than a month later, every charge were dropped.