A Reform UK candidate for the Leeds local elections is under investigation after a video showed him chanting a controversial slogan at a Gaza-linked 2024 protest, according to The Times (UK).Professor Muhammad Sajjad Raja has been described as a highly educated social and political figure and has been selected as Reform UK’s candidate for the Moortown ward of Leeds ahead of the 7 May local elections.The issue focuses on a video from June 2024, where King took part in a demonstration organized by Britain’s Workers’ Party. In the footage, he is seen leading the march and chanting slogans such as “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” as well as “End apartheid” and “Israel is a terrorist state.”King shared a 23-minute video of the protest on his TikTok account, saying he had led a demonstration in Leeds “in solidarity with the people of Palestine”. He was also seen holding a Workers’ Party sign which read, “For Britain, for Gaza”.Reform UK, a right-wing party led by Nigel Farage, began as the Brexit Party in 2018 and rebranded in 2021 following Britain’s exit from the European Union.After the footage surfaced, Reform UK said it was investigating the matter. The slogan has been widely debated in British politics. Party leader Nigel Farage has described it as a “slogan of hate” that calls for the “elimination of the State of Israel”, while Reform’s economics spokesman Robert Jenrick has previously called it “genocide”.Raja has a background of activism beyond this protest. He previously campaigned with Britain’s Workers’ Party, a fringe left-wing group founded by former Labor MP George Galloway, which supports wealth redistribution and opposes NATO.His political journey includes several affiliations. King stood as the Conservative candidate in the 2023 local elections in Leeds, where he came third. He later aligned himself with Reform UK, saying: “I support Reform UK because I want to fix broken Britain and I stand with Nigel Farage because he’s the only person who can clean up the mess now.”Reform UK said its investigation was ongoing. Raja has been contacted for comment.