When plans were revealed for the former president's upcoming official trip, complete with a royal dinner at Windsor on 17 September 2025, the protest group known as Led By Donkeys felt compelled to ensure it did not go without a statement. The act of offering a lavish welcome seemed especially servile. Their subsequent creative protest unfolded with precision.
A Provocative Film
The group produced a short documentary detailing Donald Trump’s relationship with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. It concluded: “The commander-in-chief of the United States is alleged to have been a long-time close friend of America’s most notorious sex offender. He’s alleged to be referenced, repeatedly, in documents related to the criminal probe into that individual … And now that very man, Donald Trump, is a guest in Windsor Castle.” (For his part, Trump maintains he fell out with Epstein years before Epstein’s first arrest and has consistently denied all allegations in relation to Epstein.)
Preparations and Execution
The activists had secured rooms in the adjacent Harte and Garter hotel, which boast “castle view” and, even more helpfully, “castle view superior”, said group founder, Ben Stewart. They utilized 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.
The world’s media was assembled, staring at the castle, growing restless as Trump was delayed. Their film, spread rapidly globally. “While the still pictures of Epstein and Trump spread like wildfire online,” Stewart says, “I’m not sure that persuades anyone of anything – it just makes Trump uneasy. The film we made gives people a social object to share, saying: ‘There’s something significant to look at here.’ We took an act of activist 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 the castle's round tower needs some technical calibration,” Stewart explains. “So there’s this royal crest. The police likely thought: ‘How pleasant – the royal family,’ and suddenly a great big picture of Jeffrey Epstein appears. This electric jolt passed through the officers nearby, and the police raced into the hotel.”
A History of Activism
This was not their inaugural action; it wasn’t even their first action targeting Trump. Back in 2018, during his time with Greenpeace, Stewart piloted a paraglider over the resort where the president was staying in Scotland. A year later, police visited him that any repeat, his safety wasn't assured.
The Arrests
But, the activists weren't overly concerned about detainment. “All my anxiety goes into wanting the protest works,” notes Oliver Knowles, a fellow founder. “Once the police make the intervention, the die is cast.” Officers was swift, arriving in the lobby in under three minutes, “really pumped up”, he remembers. “Wearing jumpsuits and caps. They had located the culprits. They charged up the stairs; prepared; they were on a mission to protect the president. Fortunately, no firearms. But they were extremely tense 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 officers were unsure which law to charge anyone. Upon finally entering 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 communications, a stalking law. “The law is precise: it’s designed to address a serious offence. Applying it to a piece of journalism, displayed on a wall, in defense of the reputation of the president, seemed against the spirit of the legislation,” Stewart remarks pointedly. While the others were detained, he slipped away, shortly thereafter boarded a train out of Windsor, contacting legal counsel.
An Ironic Interrogation
Some time in the middle of the night, as the detainees sat in cells at Maidenhead police station, police re-entered and arrested them again, this time for public nuisance, deeming it more likely to succeed. During interrogation, the only officers available belonged to the child protection squad – an irony that was palpable, given the subject matter of the protest concerned alleged sex offender. Knowles and his associates 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 anybody else who may have had cause to take the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I anticipated what was coming: a picture of a giant projector, ratchet-strapped to several drawers. Then, the officers were finding it hard to maintain their composure.”
The Outcome
Just over one month later, all charges was dismissed.
