The Aftermath: The Night Led By Donkeys Beamed Pictures Featuring Trump and Epstein on to Windsor Castle
When plans were revealed for the former president's second state visit, including a royal dinner at Windsor on September 17th, 2025, the activist collective Led By Donkeys was determined to ensure it did not go without a statement. The gesture of offering a lavish welcome seemed particularly craven. Their subsequent art-activist event unfolded like clockwork.
A Provocative Film
The group produced a short documentary exploring Donald Trump’s relationship with notorious figure Jeffrey Epstein. Its ending stated: “The president of the United States was a longstanding associate of the nation's most infamous child sex trafficker. He’s alleged to be mentioned, numerous times, in documents from the investigation into Epstein … Now that president, Donald Trump, is a guest 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, which boast “castle view” and, more crucially, superior castle views, said a co-founder, Ben Stewart. Their equipment included a powerful projector. For audio, Stewart placed a wireless speaker, concealed inside a cereal box, on top of a garbage can outside.
The world’s media had gathered, 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 simply makes Trump uneasy. The film we made provides viewers a social object to share, implying: ‘This is something significant to look at here.’ We took an act of activist journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was seen 20m times.”
The Reveal
It started with the official Windsor Castle logo. “It requires a cylindrical building requires some technical calibration,” Stewart explains. “First appeared the royal coat of arms. Officers likely thought: ‘Ah, that’s nice – the royal family,’ and then abruptly a great big picture of Jeffrey Epstein materializes. This electric jolt goes through the officers around me, and the police raced into the hotel.”
A History of Activism
It wasn't their inaugural action; it wasn’t even their first action targeting Trump. Back in 2018, during his time with Greenpeace, Stewart had flown a motorized paraglider near the resort where the then-president was staying in Scotland. The following year, officers warned him that any repeat, they couldn’t guarantee.
Confrontation with Police
But, the group's creators weren't especially worried about arrest. “All my anxiety goes into ensuring the action to succeed,” notes Oliver Knowles, a fellow founder. “By the time the police make the intervention, the message is already out.” Officers was swift, arriving in the lobby within three minutes, “really pumped up”, he remembers. “They were in jumpsuits and baseball caps. They had located the culprits. They charged up the stairs; they were briefed; tasked to protect the president. Thankfully, no guns. But they were very adrenalised upon entering the room. I told them: ‘Let’s keep this calm.’”
Delaying multiple police officers is a long time. The fact that they didn’t know under what law to charge anyone. Upon finally entering the room, “one officer started reading a clause of the Town and Country Planning Act, before another asked him to stop as it was incorrect.” Knowles and three additional team members were subsequently detained for malicious communication, a stalking law. “The law is precise: it’s designed to address a really concerning offence. To throw it at a piece of journalism, projected on to a wall, to protect the reputation of the president, appeared contrary to the intent of the legislation,” Stewart remarks pointedly. As his colleagues were arrested, he slipped away, then soon after boarded a train out of Windsor, calling lawyers.
A Second Arrest and Questioning
Some time that night, as the detainees sat in cells at Maidenhead police station, officers came in and re-arrested them, now for causing a public nuisance, deeming it more likely to succeed. During interrogation, the sole available interrogators belonged to the child protection squad – an irony that was not lost on anyone, given the subject matter of the protest concerned alleged sex offender. The activists just answered all queries with: “No comment.” A few minutes into the interview, police presented a photo: “They asked, did you take the drawer from this nightstand?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Sir, do you know anyone who may have had reason to remove the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I anticipated what was coming: a picture of a large projector, ratchet-strapped to several drawers. At that point, the officers struggled to keep a straight face.”
The Outcome
A little more than one month later, all charges was dismissed.
