🔗 Share this article What Happened Next: 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, complete with a Windsor Castle banquet on September 17th, 2025, the activist collective Led By Donkeys was determined not to let it pass without a statement. The act of offering a lavish welcome was viewed as especially servile. Their next creative protest proceeded with precision. A Provocative Film Activists created a short documentary detailing the connections with notorious figure Jeffrey Epstein. Its ending stated: “The president of the United States was a long-time close friend of the nation's most infamous child sex trafficker. He’s alleged to be mentioned, numerous times, in the files from the criminal probe into Epstein … Now that very man, Donald Trump, is a guest in Windsor Castle.” (For his part, Trump has stated he ended his friendship with Epstein long prior to Epstein’s initial legal troubles and repeatedly refuted all allegations in relation to Epstein.) The Setup The group had secured rooms in the adjacent Harte and Garter hotel, rooms advertised with “castle view” and, more crucially, superior castle views, said group founder, Ben Stewart. Their equipment included a high-lumen 32,000-lumen projector. For audio, Stewart positioned a wireless speaker, hidden within a box of cereal, on top of a public rubbish bin outside. The world’s media had gathered, their gaze fixed at the castle, growing restless awaiting Trump's arrival. Their film, gained traction globally. “While the still pictures of Epstein and Trump spread like wildfire online,” Stewart says, “I’m not sure that convinces people of anything – it just makes Trump uneasy. Our documentary gives people a social object to share, saying: ‘There’s something significant to examine 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. “Projecting onto the castle's round tower needs a little bit of mapping,” Stewart explains. “First appeared this royal crest. The police likely thought: ‘Ah, that’s nice – the royal family,’ and suddenly a great big picture of Jeffrey Epstein appears. A wave of shock passed through the officers nearby, and they raced into the hotel.” Not Their First Protest It wasn't the group’s first rodeo; it wasn’t even their first effort 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, officers warned him that any repeat, they couldn’t guarantee. The Arrests But, the activists weren't especially worried about arrest. “All my anxiety is channelled into wanting the protest works,” notes Oliver Knowles, another co-founder. “By the time the police make the intervention, the message is already out.” Officers was rapid, arriving in the lobby within three minutes, “really pumped up”, he remembers. “Wearing jumpsuits and baseball caps. They had located some protesters. They came roaring up the stairs; they were briefed; they were on a mission to protect the president. Thankfully, no guns. But they were very adrenalised when they entered the room. I had to say: ‘Let’s keep this really calm.’” Stalling multiple police officers is a long time. It helped that they were unsure under what law to charge anyone. When they finally entered the room, “one officer started reading a section of the Town and Country Planning Act, before another told him to stop because it wasn’t right.” Knowles and three other 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. Applying it to 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. While the others were detained, he slipped away, then soon after boarded a train out of Windsor, contacting legal counsel. A Second Arrest and Questioning Some time in the middle of the night, as the detainees sat in cells at Maidenhead police station, officers came in and re-arrested them, now for causing a public nuisance, having decided a stronger charge. When they came to be questioned, the only officers available were from the child protection squad – a twist which was not lost on anyone, given the subject matter of the protest involved Jeffrey Epstein. The activists responded to all queries with: “No comment.” A few minutes into the interview, police presented 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 cause to take the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I knew the next move: an image of a large projector, ratchet-strapped to four drawers. At that point, the officers struggled to maintain their composure.” The Outcome A little more than one month later, every charge was dismissed.
When the announcement was made for Donald Trump’s upcoming official trip, complete with a Windsor Castle banquet on September 17th, 2025, the activist collective Led By Donkeys was determined not to let it pass without a statement. The act of offering a lavish welcome was viewed as especially servile. Their next creative protest proceeded with precision. A Provocative Film Activists created a short documentary detailing the connections with notorious figure Jeffrey Epstein. Its ending stated: “The president of the United States was a long-time close friend of the nation's most infamous child sex trafficker. He’s alleged to be mentioned, numerous times, in the files from the criminal probe into Epstein … Now that very man, Donald Trump, is a guest in Windsor Castle.” (For his part, Trump has stated he ended his friendship with Epstein long prior to Epstein’s initial legal troubles and repeatedly refuted all allegations in relation to Epstein.) The Setup The group had secured rooms in the adjacent Harte and Garter hotel, rooms advertised with “castle view” and, more crucially, superior castle views, said group founder, Ben Stewart. Their equipment included a high-lumen 32,000-lumen projector. For audio, Stewart positioned a wireless speaker, hidden within a box of cereal, on top of a public rubbish bin outside. The world’s media had gathered, their gaze fixed at the castle, growing restless awaiting Trump's arrival. Their film, gained traction globally. “While the still pictures of Epstein and Trump spread like wildfire online,” Stewart says, “I’m not sure that convinces people of anything – it just makes Trump uneasy. Our documentary gives people a social object to share, saying: ‘There’s something significant to examine 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. “Projecting onto the castle's round tower needs a little bit of mapping,” Stewart explains. “First appeared this royal crest. The police likely thought: ‘Ah, that’s nice – the royal family,’ and suddenly a great big picture of Jeffrey Epstein appears. A wave of shock passed through the officers nearby, and they raced into the hotel.” Not Their First Protest It wasn't the group’s first rodeo; it wasn’t even their first effort 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, officers warned him that any repeat, they couldn’t guarantee. The Arrests But, the activists weren't especially worried about arrest. “All my anxiety is channelled into wanting the protest works,” notes Oliver Knowles, another co-founder. “By the time the police make the intervention, the message is already out.” Officers was rapid, arriving in the lobby within three minutes, “really pumped up”, he remembers. “Wearing jumpsuits and baseball caps. They had located some protesters. They came roaring up the stairs; they were briefed; they were on a mission to protect the president. Thankfully, no guns. But they were very adrenalised when they entered the room. I had to say: ‘Let’s keep this really calm.’” Stalling multiple police officers is a long time. It helped that they were unsure under what law to charge anyone. When they finally entered the room, “one officer started reading a section of the Town and Country Planning Act, before another told him to stop because it wasn’t right.” Knowles and three other 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. Applying it to 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. While the others were detained, he slipped away, then soon after boarded a train out of Windsor, contacting legal counsel. A Second Arrest and Questioning Some time in the middle of the night, as the detainees sat in cells at Maidenhead police station, officers came in and re-arrested them, now for causing a public nuisance, having decided a stronger charge. When they came to be questioned, the only officers available were from the child protection squad – a twist which was not lost on anyone, given the subject matter of the protest involved Jeffrey Epstein. The activists responded to all queries with: “No comment.” A few minutes into the interview, police presented 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 cause to take the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I knew the next move: an image of a large projector, ratchet-strapped to four drawers. At that point, the officers struggled to maintain their composure.” The Outcome A little more than one month later, every charge was dismissed.