When plans were revealed for Donald Trump’s upcoming official trip, including a Windsor Castle banquet on September 17th, 2025, the activist collective known as Led By Donkeys was determined not to let it pass unprotested. The gesture of rolling out the red carpet was viewed as particularly craven. Their next art-activist event unfolded with precision.
A Provocative Film
The group produced a short documentary exploring Donald Trump’s relationship with notorious figure 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 sex offender. He’s alleged to be mentioned, repeatedly, in documents related to the investigation into that individual … And now that very man, Donald Trump, is sleeping here within Windsor Castle.” (For his part, Trump maintains he ended his friendship with Epstein years before Epstein’s first arrest and repeatedly refuted all allegations in relation to Epstein.)
The Setup
The activists had secured rooms in the nearby Harte and Garter hotel, rooms advertised with views of the castle and, more crucially, “castle view superior”, said group founder, Ben Stewart. They utilized a high-lumen 32,000-lumen projector. To broadcast sound, Stewart positioned a wireless speaker, hidden within a box of cereal, atop a garbage can outside.
The world’s media was assembled, staring at the castle, becoming bored as Trump was delayed. Their film, gained traction globally. “While the still pictures of Epstein and Trump spread like wildfire online,” Stewart notes, “I’m not sure that convinces people of anything – it just makes Trump uncomfortable. The film we made provides viewers a social object to share, saying: ‘There’s something really serious to examine here.’ We took an act of activist journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was seen by millions.”
The Reveal
The film began with the recognizable Windsor Castle logo. “It requires the castle's round tower requires some technical calibration,” Stewart states. “First appeared this royal crest. The police are thinking: ‘How pleasant – a royal tribute,’ and suddenly a great big picture of Jeffrey Epstein materializes. A wave of shock goes 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; nor was it their first effort against Trump. In 2018, during his time with Greenpeace, Stewart piloted a motorized paraglider near the resort 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 especially worried about arrest. “All my anxiety is channelled into ensuring the protest works,” says Oliver Knowles, another co-founder. “By the time the police make the intervention, the message is already out.” Officers was swift, arriving in the lobby within three minutes, “really pumped up”, he remembers. “They were in jumpsuits and caps. They’d finally found some protesters. They charged up the stairs; prepared; they were on a mission to safeguard the guest. Fortunately, no firearms. 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 for six minutes. The fact that officers were unsure which law to charge anyone. When they finally entered the room, “one officer began reciting a section 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. “The law is precise: its purpose is to address a really concerning offence. Applying it to an act of journalism, displayed on a wall, to protect the reputation of the president, appeared contrary to the intent of the legislation,” Stewart remarks pointedly. As his colleagues were arrested, he melted into the crowd, shortly thereafter boarded a train leaving Windsor, calling lawyers.
A Second Arrest and Questioning
Some time in the middle of the night, as the detainees were in the cells at Maidenhead police station, officers came in and re-arrested them, now for causing a public nuisance, deeming it more likely to succeed. When they came to be questioned, the only officers available were from the child protection squad – an irony that was palpable, given the subject matter of the protest involved alleged sex offender. The activists just answered every question with: “I have no comment.” A few minutes into the interview, police presented a photo: “‘Mr Knowles, did you remove the drawer from this bedside table?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Mr Knowles, do you know anyone who may have had reason to remove the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I knew the next move: a picture of a large projector, ratchet-strapped to four drawers. At that point, the detectives were finding it hard to keep a straight face.”
The Outcome
Just over one month later, all charges were dropped.
