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An advertising van displaying a photograph of Donald Trump with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein was taken away from the scene by police after travelling around Windsor as President Trump stayed with King Charles at Windsor Castle.
Journalists nearby who were covering the intervention by viral protest collective Everyone Hates Elon were stopped and informally questioned by officers.
Thames Valley Police told Byline Times the van was taken out of the area for being “at risk” of breaking the Road Traffic Regulations Act, though it’s not clear what part of this act they were referring to. The van was later returned to the activists.
It comes after four Led By Donkeys activists were detained on Tuesday (16th) night after projecting video of Donald Trump with the late convicted paedophile and sex trafficker Epstein onto Windsor Castle.
President Trump is visiting the UK for a historic second state visit and is facing huge protests, including today (17th) in central London. Police have a heavy presence in Windsor and in central London.
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In the Activists’ Own Words
An activist with Everyone Hates Elon who was in the protest ad van when it was stopped by officers in Windsor told Byline Times: “We got in the van and drove for about five minutes up the high street towards the castle. Even just where we started, there were a lot of police around.”
“We were right next to this big metal wall that’s been erected around the Long Walk – a big part of the park, a big path that goes up to the castle – and we drove on the road next to that.
“We drove for about five minutes with the big photo of Trump and Epstein on the side of the van. As soon as we got into sight of the castle, the police came straight up into the middle of the road and flagged us down, so we immediately pulled over.
“Straight away the police went to the driver: ‘No, you can’t have this, you can’t be here.’ They stopped him under some [traffic] law.
“I got out of the van and carried on taking pictures and filming. They took the driver to the side, and straight away another policeman jumped in the van, kept saying ‘How do you turn it off? How do you turn it off?’
“They wanted to turn off the massive, huge photo of Trump and Epstein as quickly as they could. As soon as they turned it off, they grabbed the van and drove it away from where we’d just been pulled over.
“At the same time, I saw a few other journalists from Reuters and photographers all getting stopped by the police and being asked for their details.”
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The activist continued: “I was surprised: surprised at how quickly they reacted and with how much force….Clearly we were just showing a photo, so…there was no law being broken.
“[But] I was surprised at how quickly and how desperate they were to turn it off and get the van out of that spot, and how many other police came and were trying to speak to any other person with a camera, anybody else that was in the vicinity. It was very strange—an almost desperate atmosphere from the police, it seems.”
Another campaigner for Everyone Hates Elon added that the police are being “super heavy-handed.”
“They’re just everywhere. We basically had that advan live for 10 minutes or less before they stopped us.”
They added: “I don’t want to [suggest] ‘there’s no free speech in the UK’…But if we can’t even drive a van, then what is that about?
“We were going to drive it around Windsor and then to London, but that’ll be it for the day, sadly.”
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Police Response Raises Questions
Responding to questions about the incident, a Thames Valley Police spokesperson told this outlet: “Security checks are a necessary part of our response to ensure the safety of the state visit and all those in the area.
“The driver was at risk of breaching the Road Traffic Regulations Act, and after a brief conversation with officers the motorist left the area. No arrests were made and no vehicles were seized.
“We have been clear with the public that an enhanced police presence would be in place due to the state visit.”
When asked for clarity on what happened to the van, the spokesperson added: “I can confirm that the van was not taken by an officer. The motorist drove the van out of the area.”
When presented with photographic evidence that an officer did drive the van away, the spokesperson said: “The officer moved the vehicle out of live traffic as it was causing an obstruction.”
Challenged again they replied: “Apologies for the confusion surrounding this incident. We can confirm that an officer briefly moved the vehicle out of live traffic as it was causing an obstruction. Then, the motorist drove the van out of the area.”
Byline Times understands that the driver was then escorted onto the motorway by police, away from Windsor.
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“Epstein Haunts Him”
Prior to the police response, a spokesperson for Everyone Hates Elon said: “We’re sick of the US’s influence on the UK – whether its billionaires like Elon Musk or billionaire backers like Donald Trump.
“Trump is bringing over tech billionaires to the UK this week just as his former advisor Musk spoke to a far right rally in central London.
“They want us to think the US is a good influence – but the truth is Trump is an abuser who was friends with pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. How can that be good for anyone in the UK?
“There’s no way we’re letting him use our country to polish his image. We’re ready to make sure Epstein haunts him everywhere he goes.”
Donald Trump’s visit comes days after the UK’s own ambassador to the US was sacked because of links to Epstein, and as former Trump advisor Elon Musk spoke to a far right rally in London at the weekend.
To mark the occasion, Everyone Hates Elon also held a viral protest presenting the “world’s largest copy of the Trump and Epstein photo”, which now has over 15 million views on Instagram alone.
Over the last week Everyone Hates Elon has taken the world’s biggest photo of Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein to Windsor Castle, paid for by almost 2,000 members of the public.
They also unveiled a memorial to Jeffrey Epstein at Trump’s Aberdeen golf course to commemorate Trump’s friendship with Epstein who he once called a “terrific guy.” The unauthorised unveiling went viral across the world.
And a bus stop ad was unofficially placed near the US Embassy with the simple words “Donald Trump is a rapist.”
Spoof memorabilia was placed in Windsor Castle Gift shop to commemorate President Trump’s visit, including plates and mugs with the image of Trump and Epstein and words “never forget”
Everyone Hates Elon also hacked a London ad showing the now infamous photo of Trump with Epstein in July. The video garnered millions of views.
The campaign group, who initially set out to target Elon Musk in the wake of Donald Trump’s election as President of the USA, has gone viral for stunts targeting billionaires. In June, a giant banner targeting Jeff Bezos made headlines around the world.
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