🔗 Share this article The Unfolding Events: The Evening The Activist Group Beamed Images of Trump and Epstein onto 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 protest group Led By Donkeys felt compelled not to let it pass without a statement. The gesture of rolling out the red carpet was viewed as particularly craven. Their next creative protest unfolded with precision. A Deliberate Message Activists created a nine-minute film exploring the connections with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. Its ending stated: “The commander-in-chief of the United States was a longstanding associate of America’s most notorious child sex trafficker. He’s alleged to be mentioned, numerous times, in the files from the criminal probe into Epstein … And now that president, Donald Trump, is a guest in Windsor Castle.” (In response, Trump has stated he fell out with Epstein years before Epstein’s first arrest and has consistently denied all allegations concerning Epstein.) Preparations and Execution The group had secured rooms in the adjacent Harte and Garter hotel, which boast “castle view” and, more crucially, “castle view superior”, according to 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 public rubbish bin outside. The world’s media was assembled, staring at the castle, becoming bored awaiting Trump's arrival. The film, however, spread rapidly globally. “Although the still pictures of Epstein and Trump went viral online,” Stewart says, “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: ‘There’s something significant to examine here.’ We took an act of activist journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was viewed 20m times.” The Moment of Projection It started with the recognizable Windsor Castle logo. “It requires a cylindrical building requires a little bit of mapping,” Stewart states. “So there’s the royal coat of arms. Officers likely thought: ‘Ah, that’s nice – the royal family,’ and suddenly a great big picture of Jeffrey Epstein materializes. A wave of shock passed through the officers around me, and the police all pile into the hotel.” A History of Activism This was not the group’s first rodeo; nor was it their first effort against Trump. In 2018, during his time with Greenpeace, Stewart piloted a motorized paraglider near the resort where the then-president was staying in Scotland. A year later, police visited him that any repeat, his safety wasn't assured. The Arrests But, the activists were not especially worried about arrest. “My nervous energy goes into ensuring the protest works,” notes Oliver Knowles, a fellow founder. “Once the police arrive, the message is already out.” The police response was swift, arriving in the lobby in under three minutes, “really pumped up”, Knowles recalls. “Wearing tactical gear and baseball caps. They had located some protesters. They charged up the stairs; prepared; tasked 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 calm.’” Stalling multiple police officers is a long time. The fact that they didn’t know under what law to make arrests. When they finally entered the room, “a policeman started reading a clause of the Town and Country Planning Act, which another officer told him to stop because it wasn’t right.” Knowles and three additional team members were then arrested for malicious communication, a stalking law. “and it’s very specific: it’s designed to address a really concerning offence. To throw it at an act of journalism, displayed on a wall, to protect the reputation of the president, seemed against the spirit of the legislation,” Stewart says archly. While the others were detained, he slipped away, shortly thereafter was on 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 re-arrested them, this time for public nuisance, deeming it more likely to succeed. When they came to be questioned, the only officers available were from the child protection unit – an irony that was palpable, given the focus of the protest concerned Jeffrey Epstein. The activists just answered every question with: “I have no comment.” Shortly after starting the interview, police presented a photograph: “‘Mr Knowles, did you take the drawer from this bedside table?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Mr Knowles, do you know anyone who may have had cause to take the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I knew the next move: an image of a giant projector, ratchet-strapped to four drawers. At that point, the officers struggled to maintain their composure.” The Final Result A little more than one month later, all charges was dismissed.
When plans were revealed for the former president's second state visit, including a royal dinner at Windsor on September 17th, 2025, the protest group Led By Donkeys felt compelled not to let it pass without a statement. The gesture of rolling out the red carpet was viewed as particularly craven. Their next creative protest unfolded with precision. A Deliberate Message Activists created a nine-minute film exploring the connections with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. Its ending stated: “The commander-in-chief of the United States was a longstanding associate of America’s most notorious child sex trafficker. He’s alleged to be mentioned, numerous times, in the files from the criminal probe into Epstein … And now that president, Donald Trump, is a guest in Windsor Castle.” (In response, Trump has stated he fell out with Epstein years before Epstein’s first arrest and has consistently denied all allegations concerning Epstein.) Preparations and Execution The group had secured rooms in the adjacent Harte and Garter hotel, which boast “castle view” and, more crucially, “castle view superior”, according to 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 public rubbish bin outside. The world’s media was assembled, staring at the castle, becoming bored awaiting Trump's arrival. The film, however, spread rapidly globally. “Although the still pictures of Epstein and Trump went viral online,” Stewart says, “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: ‘There’s something significant to examine here.’ We took an act of activist journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was viewed 20m times.” The Moment of Projection It started with the recognizable Windsor Castle logo. “It requires a cylindrical building requires a little bit of mapping,” Stewart states. “So there’s the royal coat of arms. Officers likely thought: ‘Ah, that’s nice – the royal family,’ and suddenly a great big picture of Jeffrey Epstein materializes. A wave of shock passed through the officers around me, and the police all pile into the hotel.” A History of Activism This was not the group’s first rodeo; nor was it their first effort against Trump. In 2018, during his time with Greenpeace, Stewart piloted a motorized paraglider near the resort where the then-president was staying in Scotland. A year later, police visited him that any repeat, his safety wasn't assured. The Arrests But, the activists were not especially worried about arrest. “My nervous energy goes into ensuring the protest works,” notes Oliver Knowles, a fellow founder. “Once the police arrive, the message is already out.” The police response was swift, arriving in the lobby in under three minutes, “really pumped up”, Knowles recalls. “Wearing tactical gear and baseball caps. They had located some protesters. They charged up the stairs; prepared; tasked 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 calm.’” Stalling multiple police officers is a long time. The fact that they didn’t know under what law to make arrests. When they finally entered the room, “a policeman started reading a clause of the Town and Country Planning Act, which another officer told him to stop because it wasn’t right.” Knowles and three additional team members were then arrested for malicious communication, a stalking law. “and it’s very specific: it’s designed to address a really concerning offence. To throw it at an act of journalism, displayed on a wall, to protect the reputation of the president, seemed against the spirit of the legislation,” Stewart says archly. While the others were detained, he slipped away, shortly thereafter was on 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 re-arrested them, this time for public nuisance, deeming it more likely to succeed. When they came to be questioned, the only officers available were from the child protection unit – an irony that was palpable, given the focus of the protest concerned Jeffrey Epstein. The activists just answered every question with: “I have no comment.” Shortly after starting the interview, police presented a photograph: “‘Mr Knowles, did you take the drawer from this bedside table?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Mr Knowles, do you know anyone who may have had cause to take the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I knew the next move: an image of a giant projector, ratchet-strapped to four drawers. At that point, the officers struggled to maintain their composure.” The Final Result A little more than one month later, all charges was dismissed.