A Reform UK candidate in Leeds local elections is under investigation after a video showed him shouting controversial slogans at Gaza-related protests in 2024, The Times reported.Professor Muhammad Sajjad Raja is described as a highly educated social and political figure and has been selected as the candidate for Reform in the Leeds Moortown constituency ahead of local elections on 7 May.The issue revolves around a video from June 2024 in which Raja took part in a demonstration organized by the British Workers Party. In the video, he leads a march and chants slogans including “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” as well as “End apartheid” and “Israel is a terrorist state.”Sharing a 23-minute video of the protest on his TikTok account, Raja said he led a demonstration in Leeds “in solidarity with the Palestinian people”. He was also seen holding a Workers’ Party sign that read “For Britain, for Gaza”.The right-wing party Reform UK, led by Nigel Farage, was founded in 2018 as the “Brexit Party” and was renamed in 2021 after the UK left the EU.Reform UK said it was investigating the matter after the video emerged. This slogan has caused widespread debate in British politics. Party leader Nigel Farage described it as a “hateful slogan” calling for the “abolition of the state of Israel”, while Reform Party economics spokesman Robert Jenrick previously called it “genocide”.Beyond this protest, Raja has a background in activism. He had previously campaigned with the British Workers Party, a fringe left-wing group founded by former Labor MP George Galloway that supports wealth redistribution and opposes Nato.His political career spans multiple backgrounds. Raja ran as the Conservative candidate in the 2023 Leeds local elections and came in third. He later stood with Reform Britain, saying: “I support Reform Britain because I want to fix a broken Britain, and I stand with Nigel Farage because he is the only one who can pick up the pieces now.”Reform UK said an investigation was ongoing. Raja has been contacted for comment.
