🔗 Share this article The Unfolding Events: The Evening The Activist Group Beamed Pictures Featuring Trump and Epstein onto Windsor Castle When plans were revealed for Donald Trump’s second state visit, complete with a Windsor Castle banquet on 17 September 2025, the activist collective Led By Donkeys felt compelled to ensure it did not go unprotested. The act of rolling out the red carpet was viewed as particularly craven. Their next art-activist event unfolded with precision. A Deliberate Message The group produced a nine-minute film exploring the connections with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. It concluded: “The president of the United States is alleged to have been a long-time close friend of the nation's most infamous child sex trafficker. His name is said to be referenced, numerous times, in documents related to the criminal probe into that individual … Now that president, 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 repeatedly refuted all allegations in relation to Epstein.) Preparations and Execution The group had booked rooms in the adjacent Harte and Garter hotel, which boast views of the castle and, more crucially, “castle view superior”, said a co-founder, Ben Stewart. Their equipment included a powerful projector. For audio, Stewart placed a Bluetooth speaker, hidden inside a cereal box, on top of a garbage can outside. International press was assembled, their gaze fixed 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 says, “I’m not sure that persuades anyone of anything – it simply makes Trump uneasy. Our documentary provides viewers something tangible to share, implying: ‘There’s something really serious to look at here.’ It was a piece of guerrilla journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was seen by millions.” The Moment of Projection It started with the recognizable Windsor Castle logo. “It requires a cylindrical building requires some technical calibration,” Stewart explains. “So there’s 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 officers around me, and the police raced into the hotel.” Not Their First Protest This was not the group’s first rodeo; nor was it 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. A year later, officers warned him that if he tried again, they couldn’t guarantee. The Arrests But, the activists weren't overly concerned about detainment. “All my anxiety is channelled into wanting the protest works,” says Oliver Knowles, a fellow founder. “Once the police make the intervention, the die is cast.” The police response was rapid, arriving in the lobby in under three minutes, highly agitated, Knowles recalls. “They were in tactical gear and caps. They had located some protesters. They came roaring up the stairs; prepared; tasked to safeguard the guest. Fortunately, no guns. But they were very adrenalised 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. The fact that officers were unsure under what law to charge anyone. When they finally entered the room, “a policeman began reciting a clause 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 then arrested for malicious communication, a stalking law. “and it’s very specific: its purpose is to address a serious offence. Applying it to a piece of journalism, displayed on a wall, to protect the reputation of the president, appeared against the spirit of the legislation,” Stewart remarks pointedly. While the others were detained, he melted into the crowd, shortly thereafter boarded a train leaving Windsor, contacting legal counsel. A Second Arrest and Questioning Some time that night, as the detainees were in the cells at Maidenhead police station, police re-entered and re-arrested them, now for public nuisance, deeming it more likely to succeed. During interrogation, the only officers available were from the child protection unit – an irony which was not lost on anyone, given the focus of the protest concerned Jeffrey Epstein. The activists just answered every question with: “No comment.” A few minutes into the interview, the officers slid over a photograph: “‘Mr Knowles, did you take the drawer from this bedside table?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Mr Knowles, do you know anybody else who may have had reason to remove the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I knew the next move: an image of a large projector, ratchet-strapped to several drawers. Then, the officers struggled to maintain their composure.” The Outcome A little more than a month later, all charges was dismissed.
When plans were revealed for Donald Trump’s second state visit, complete with a Windsor Castle banquet on 17 September 2025, the activist collective Led By Donkeys felt compelled to ensure it did not go unprotested. The act of rolling out the red carpet was viewed as particularly craven. Their next art-activist event unfolded with precision. A Deliberate Message The group produced a nine-minute film exploring the connections with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. It concluded: “The president of the United States is alleged to have been a long-time close friend of the nation's most infamous child sex trafficker. His name is said to be referenced, numerous times, in documents related to the criminal probe into that individual … Now that president, 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 repeatedly refuted all allegations in relation to Epstein.) Preparations and Execution The group had booked rooms in the adjacent Harte and Garter hotel, which boast views of the castle and, more crucially, “castle view superior”, said a co-founder, Ben Stewart. Their equipment included a powerful projector. For audio, Stewart placed a Bluetooth speaker, hidden inside a cereal box, on top of a garbage can outside. International press was assembled, their gaze fixed 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 says, “I’m not sure that persuades anyone of anything – it simply makes Trump uneasy. Our documentary provides viewers something tangible to share, implying: ‘There’s something really serious to look at here.’ It was a piece of guerrilla journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was seen by millions.” The Moment of Projection It started with the recognizable Windsor Castle logo. “It requires a cylindrical building requires some technical calibration,” Stewart explains. “So there’s 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 officers around me, and the police raced into the hotel.” Not Their First Protest This was not the group’s first rodeo; nor was it 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. A year later, officers warned him that if he tried again, they couldn’t guarantee. The Arrests But, the activists weren't overly concerned about detainment. “All my anxiety is channelled into wanting the protest works,” says Oliver Knowles, a fellow founder. “Once the police make the intervention, the die is cast.” The police response was rapid, arriving in the lobby in under three minutes, highly agitated, Knowles recalls. “They were in tactical gear and caps. They had located some protesters. They came roaring up the stairs; prepared; tasked to safeguard the guest. Fortunately, no guns. But they were very adrenalised 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. The fact that officers were unsure under what law to charge anyone. When they finally entered the room, “a policeman began reciting a clause 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 then arrested for malicious communication, a stalking law. “and it’s very specific: its purpose is to address a serious offence. Applying it to a piece of journalism, displayed on a wall, to protect the reputation of the president, appeared against the spirit of the legislation,” Stewart remarks pointedly. While the others were detained, he melted into the crowd, shortly thereafter boarded a train leaving Windsor, contacting legal counsel. A Second Arrest and Questioning Some time that night, as the detainees were in the cells at Maidenhead police station, police re-entered and re-arrested them, now for public nuisance, deeming it more likely to succeed. During interrogation, the only officers available were from the child protection unit – an irony which was not lost on anyone, given the focus of the protest concerned Jeffrey Epstein. The activists just answered every question with: “No comment.” A few minutes into the interview, the officers slid over a photograph: “‘Mr Knowles, did you take the drawer from this bedside table?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Mr Knowles, do you know anybody else who may have had reason to remove the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I knew the next move: an image of a large projector, ratchet-strapped to several drawers. Then, the officers struggled to maintain their composure.” The Outcome A little more than a month later, all charges was dismissed.