When the announcement was made for Donald Trump’s second state visit, including a royal dinner at Windsor on September 17th, 2025, the activist collective known as Led By Donkeys felt compelled not to let it pass unprotested. The gesture of offering a lavish welcome seemed particularly craven. Their next creative protest proceeded with precision.
A Provocative Film
The group produced a short documentary detailing Donald Trump’s relationship with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. Its ending stated: “The president of the United States was a longstanding associate of the nation's most infamous child sex trafficker. He’s alleged to be referenced, numerous times, in documents related to the criminal probe into that individual … And now that very man, Donald Trump, is sleeping here in 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.)
Preparations and Execution
The activists had secured rooms in the adjacent Harte and Garter hotel, which boast views of the castle and, even more helpfully, “castle view superior”, said a co-founder, Ben Stewart. Their equipment included a powerful projector. For audio, Stewart positioned a Bluetooth speaker, hidden within a box of cereal, on top of a garbage can outside.
International press had gathered, staring at the castle, growing restless as Trump was delayed. The film, however, spread rapidly everywhere. “While the still pictures of Epstein and Trump spread like wildfire online,” Stewart notes, “I doubt that persuades anyone of anything – it just makes Trump uncomfortable. Our documentary gives people something tangible to share, implying: ‘There’s something significant to look at here.’ It was a piece of guerrilla journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was viewed 20m times.”
The Reveal
It started with the official Windsor Castle logo. “Projecting onto a cylindrical building needs a little bit of mapping,” Stewart states. “First appeared this royal crest. Officers likely thought: ‘How pleasant – the royal family,’ and suddenly a great big picture of Jeffrey Epstein materializes. A wave of shock passed through the police in fluorescent jackets nearby, and the police all pile into the hotel.”
Not Their First Protest
It wasn't the group’s first rodeo; it wasn’t even their first effort targeting Trump. In 2018, while working for Greenpeace, Stewart had flown a paraglider near the resort where the president was staying during a visit to Turnberry. A year later, police visited him that any repeat, his safety wasn't assured.
Confrontation with Police
But, the group's creators were not overly concerned about detainment. “My nervous energy goes into wanting the protest works,” notes Oliver Knowles, a fellow founder. “By the time the police arrive, the die is cast.” The police response was rapid, reaching the hotel in under three minutes, highly agitated, Knowles recalls. “Wearing tactical gear and caps. They’d finally found some protesters. They came roaring up the stairs; prepared; they were on a mission to safeguard the guest. Fortunately, no guns. But they were extremely tense when they entered the room. I had to say: ‘Let’s keep this really calm.’”
Delaying a large number of police officers is a long time. It helped that officers didn’t know under what law to charge anyone. Upon finally entering the room, “a policeman started reading a section of the Town and Country Planning Act, which another officer asked 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. Applying it to a piece of journalism, displayed on a wall, to protect the reputation of the president, seemed contrary to the intent of the legislation,” Stewart says archly. As his colleagues were arrested, he melted into the crowd, shortly thereafter was on a train leaving Windsor, calling lawyers.
An Ironic Interrogation
Later in the middle of the night, while the activists sat in cells at Maidenhead police station, police re-entered and arrested them again, now for public nuisance, having decided a stronger charge. During interrogation, the only officers available belonged to the child protection unit – an irony which was palpable, given the subject matter of the protest concerned alleged sex offender. The activists just answered all queries with: “No comment.” A few minutes into the interview, the officers slid over a photograph: “They asked, did you remove 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 giant projector, ratchet-strapped to several drawers. At that point, the detectives struggled to keep a straight face.”
The Outcome
Just over a month later, every charge was dismissed.
