What Happened Next: The Night Led By Donkeys Projected Pictures Featuring Trump and Epstein on to Windsor Castle

When the announcement was made for Donald Trump’s second state visit, complete with a Windsor Castle banquet on September 17th, 2025, the protest group Led By Donkeys was determined to ensure it did not go without a statement. The act of rolling out the red carpet seemed especially servile. Their subsequent creative protest unfolded with precision.

A Provocative Film

Activists created a short documentary exploring the connections with notorious figure Jeffrey Epstein. It concluded: “The commander-in-chief of the United States was a long-time close friend of the nation's most infamous sex offender. His name is said to be referenced, repeatedly, in documents from the investigation into Epstein … And now that very man, Donald Trump, is a guest within Windsor Castle.” (For his part, Trump maintains he fell out with Epstein long prior to Epstein’s initial legal troubles and has consistently denied all allegations in relation to Epstein.)

Preparations and Execution

The group had secured rooms in the nearby Harte and Garter hotel, rooms advertised with “castle view” and, more crucially, “castle view superior”, said group founder, Ben Stewart. Their equipment included a high-lumen 32,000-lumen projector. To broadcast sound, Stewart positioned a Bluetooth speaker, concealed inside a cereal box, atop a garbage can outside.

International press had gathered, staring at the castle, becoming bored awaiting Trump's arrival. The film, however, spread rapidly globally. “Although photographs of Epstein and Trump went viral online,” Stewart says, “I’m not sure that convinces people of anything – it simply makes Trump uncomfortable. The film we made provides viewers a social object to share, implying: ‘There’s something really serious to examine here.’ It was an act of activist journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was viewed 20m times.”

The Reveal

It started with the recognizable Windsor Castle logo. “Projecting onto a cylindrical building requires some technical calibration,” Stewart states. “First appeared this royal crest. The police are thinking: ‘Ah, that’s nice – a royal tribute,’ and suddenly a massive image of Jeffrey Epstein appears. This electric jolt passed through the police in fluorescent jackets around me, and they raced into the hotel.”

Not Their First Protest

This was not the group’s first rodeo; it wasn’t even their first effort against Trump. In 2018, during his time with Greenpeace, Stewart had flown a paraglider over the resort where the president was staying in Scotland. A year later, police visited him that any repeat, they couldn’t guarantee.

Confrontation with Police

But, the activists weren't overly concerned about arrest. “All my anxiety is channelled into wanting the action to succeed,” notes Oliver Knowles, a fellow founder. “By the time the police make the intervention, the die is cast.” 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 safeguard the guest. Fortunately, no guns. But they were extremely tense when they entered the room. I told them: ‘We should keep this really calm.’”

Stalling a large number of police officers is a long time. It helped that they were unsure which law to make arrests. Upon finally entering the room, “a policeman 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 additional activists were subsequently detained for malicious communications, a law related to harassment. “and it’s very specific: it’s designed to deal with a serious offence. To throw it at a piece of journalism, projected on to a wall, to protect the reputation of the president, appeared 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, calling lawyers.

A Second Arrest and Questioning

Some time that night, as the detainees sat in cells at Maidenhead police station, police re-entered and arrested them again, 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 – an irony which was not lost on anyone, given the focus of the protest involved Jeffrey Epstein. Knowles and his associates just answered all queries with: “I have no comment.” A few minutes into the interview, police presented a photograph: “They asked, did you take the drawer from this nightstand?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Sir, do you know anyone who may have had cause to take the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I knew the next move: a picture of a large projector, ratchet-strapped to four drawers. Then, the officers were finding it hard to maintain their composure.”

The Final Result

Just over one month later, all charges was dismissed.