🔗 Share this article What Happened Next: The Night The Activist Group Beamed Images of Trump and Epstein on to Windsor Castle When the announcement was made for the former president's second state visit, complete with a royal dinner at Windsor on September 17th, 2025, the protest group Led By Donkeys was determined not to let it pass unprotested. The gesture of rolling out the red carpet seemed particularly craven. Their next art-activist event unfolded like clockwork. A Deliberate Message The group produced a nine-minute film detailing Donald Trump’s relationship with notorious figure Jeffrey Epstein. Its ending stated: “The president of the United States is alleged to have been a longstanding associate of America’s most notorious child sex trafficker. He’s alleged to be mentioned, repeatedly, in the files from the investigation into that individual … Now that president, Donald Trump, is sleeping here within Windsor Castle.” (In response, Trump has stated he fell out with Epstein years before Epstein’s initial legal troubles and repeatedly refuted all allegations concerning Epstein.) The Setup The activists had secured rooms in the adjacent Harte and Garter hotel, rooms advertised with “castle view” and, more crucially, superior castle views, said a co-founder, Ben Stewart. Their equipment included a powerful 32,000-lumen projector. To broadcast sound, Stewart positioned a wireless speaker, concealed inside a cereal box, on top of a public rubbish bin outside. International press was assembled, their gaze fixed at the castle, growing restless as Trump was delayed. Their film, spread rapidly everywhere. “While photographs of Epstein and Trump spread like wildfire online,” Stewart notes, “I doubt that convinces people of anything – it just makes Trump uneasy. The film we made gives people something tangible to share, implying: ‘There’s something really serious to look at here.’ We took a piece of guerrilla journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was seen by millions.” The Moment of Projection It started with the official Windsor Castle logo. “Projecting onto a cylindrical building needs 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. A wave of shock passed through the officers nearby, and the police all pile into the hotel.” A History of Activism This was not their inaugural action; it wasn’t even their first effort against Trump. Back in 2018, during his time with Greenpeace, Stewart piloted a paraglider near the hotel where the president was staying in Scotland. The following year, police visited him that any repeat, they couldn’t guarantee. The Arrests However, the group's creators were not overly concerned about arrest. “My nervous energy is channelled into wanting the action to succeed,” says Oliver Knowles, another co-founder. “Once the police make the intervention, the message is already out.” The police response was rapid, arriving in the lobby in under three minutes, highly agitated, he remembers. “Wearing jumpsuits and baseball caps. They had located the culprits. They charged up the stairs; prepared; they were on a mission to safeguard the guest. Thankfully, no firearms. But they were extremely tense upon entering the room. I told them: ‘Let’s keep this calm.’” Stalling multiple police officers for six minutes. The fact that they were unsure under what law to make arrests. Upon finally entering 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 activists were subsequently detained for malicious communications, a stalking law. “The law is precise: it’s designed to deal with a serious offence. To throw it at an act of journalism, projected on to a wall, to protect the reputation of the president, appeared contrary to the intent of the legislation,” Stewart says archly. While the others were detained, he melted into the crowd, then soon after was on a train out of Windsor, calling lawyers. An Ironic Interrogation Some time in the middle of the night, while the activists were in the cells at Maidenhead police station, police re-entered and arrested them again, this time for public nuisance, deeming it a stronger charge. During interrogation, the only officers available belonged to the child protection unit – an irony that was palpable, given the subject matter of the protest concerned alleged sex offender. Knowles and his associates just answered all queries with: “I have no comment.” Shortly after starting the interview, the officers slid over a photo: “They asked, did you take the drawer from this bedside table?’ ‘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 giant projector, ratchet-strapped to several drawers. Then, the officers struggled to keep a straight face.” The Final Result Just over one month later, all charges was dismissed.
When the announcement was made for the former president's second state visit, complete with a royal dinner at Windsor on September 17th, 2025, the protest group Led By Donkeys was determined not to let it pass unprotested. The gesture of rolling out the red carpet seemed particularly craven. Their next art-activist event unfolded like clockwork. A Deliberate Message The group produced a nine-minute film detailing Donald Trump’s relationship with notorious figure Jeffrey Epstein. Its ending stated: “The president of the United States is alleged to have been a longstanding associate of America’s most notorious child sex trafficker. He’s alleged to be mentioned, repeatedly, in the files from the investigation into that individual … Now that president, Donald Trump, is sleeping here within Windsor Castle.” (In response, Trump has stated he fell out with Epstein years before Epstein’s initial legal troubles and repeatedly refuted all allegations concerning Epstein.) The Setup The activists had secured rooms in the adjacent Harte and Garter hotel, rooms advertised with “castle view” and, more crucially, superior castle views, said a co-founder, Ben Stewart. Their equipment included a powerful 32,000-lumen projector. To broadcast sound, Stewart positioned a wireless speaker, concealed inside a cereal box, on top of a public rubbish bin outside. International press was assembled, their gaze fixed at the castle, growing restless as Trump was delayed. Their film, spread rapidly everywhere. “While photographs of Epstein and Trump spread like wildfire online,” Stewart notes, “I doubt that convinces people of anything – it just makes Trump uneasy. The film we made gives people something tangible to share, implying: ‘There’s something really serious to look at here.’ We took a piece of guerrilla journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was seen by millions.” The Moment of Projection It started with the official Windsor Castle logo. “Projecting onto a cylindrical building needs 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. A wave of shock passed through the officers nearby, and the police all pile into the hotel.” A History of Activism This was not their inaugural action; it wasn’t even their first effort against Trump. Back in 2018, during his time with Greenpeace, Stewart piloted a paraglider near the hotel where the president was staying in Scotland. The following year, police visited him that any repeat, they couldn’t guarantee. The Arrests However, the group's creators were not overly concerned about arrest. “My nervous energy is channelled into wanting the action to succeed,” says Oliver Knowles, another co-founder. “Once the police make the intervention, the message is already out.” The police response was rapid, arriving in the lobby in under three minutes, highly agitated, he remembers. “Wearing jumpsuits and baseball caps. They had located the culprits. They charged up the stairs; prepared; they were on a mission to safeguard the guest. Thankfully, no firearms. But they were extremely tense upon entering the room. I told them: ‘Let’s keep this calm.’” Stalling multiple police officers for six minutes. The fact that they were unsure under what law to make arrests. Upon finally entering 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 activists were subsequently detained for malicious communications, a stalking law. “The law is precise: it’s designed to deal with a serious offence. To throw it at an act of journalism, projected on to a wall, to protect the reputation of the president, appeared contrary to the intent of the legislation,” Stewart says archly. While the others were detained, he melted into the crowd, then soon after was on a train out of Windsor, calling lawyers. An Ironic Interrogation Some time in the middle of the night, while the activists were in the cells at Maidenhead police station, police re-entered and arrested them again, this time for public nuisance, deeming it a stronger charge. During interrogation, the only officers available belonged to the child protection unit – an irony that was palpable, given the subject matter of the protest concerned alleged sex offender. Knowles and his associates just answered all queries with: “I have no comment.” Shortly after starting the interview, the officers slid over a photo: “They asked, did you take the drawer from this bedside table?’ ‘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 giant projector, ratchet-strapped to several drawers. Then, the officers struggled to keep a straight face.” The Final Result Just over one month later, all charges was dismissed.