The Scottish Parliament has rejected Reform UK’s call to consider restrictions on full-face coverings, backing instead a Government amendment declaring that it was not Parliament’s role to legislate on what women choose to wear.

The amendment passed by 92 votes to 15, with eight abstentions, on Wednesday. It also urged parliamentarians to reject language and actions that divide Scotland’s communities, in person and online.

Reform’s motion asked the Scottish Government to examine restrictions in public places, explicitly including the niqab and burka worn by some Muslim women. The party argued that restrictions could improve “public safety, individual liberty and community cohesion”.

Helen McDade, the Mid Scotland and Fife MSP who introduced it, cited bans in France, Belgium, Denmark, Germany and Italy. She referred to videos of masked men causing “fear and mayhem” in Glasgow and argued that concealed faces could cause fear even without criminality. Recalling campaigning in the Gorton and Denton by-election, where she said she saw women wearing burkas, she called the area a “ghetto” and said she would not walk there at dusk holding a female partner’s hand if she were a lesbian.

Fellow Reform MSP Thomas Kerr repeated his pledge to be a “fox in the henhouse” and said: “I don’t care if it’s a balaclava or a burka, it should be banned”.

Community safety minister Kirsten Oswald countered that the motion mentioned no balaclavas and singled out Muslim women. She described it as racist and Islamophobic, accused Reform UK Scotland of inciting racial hatred, and alleged that protecting women and girls was being used as a cover for racism. First Minister John Swinney had also accused Reform of bringing racism into Parliament.

Conservative Stephen Kerr advanced a distinct argument: police lacked sufficient powers against people concealing their faces while committing crimes. He stressed that his amendments concerned criminal activity, not niqabs or burkas.

Labour’s Pauline McNeill opposed a burka ban and accused Reform of stirring hostility, while supporting police powers against intimidating face coverings. She said Muslim women were not that group and wanted discussion of crime and e-bikes. Liberal Democrat Yi-pei Chou Turvey accused Reform of seeking publicity with “tripe”.

Green MSP Maggie Chapman said the motion targeted women of colour practising their faith. She said there was no evidence linking religious face coverings to crime and argued that evidence from France showed increased abuse, harassment and assaults against women wearing religious clothing.

An October debate ended without a vote after MSPs declined to extend it. Wednesday’s decision rejected Reform’s approach; the arguments from Stephen Kerr and McNeill concerned the separate question of powers against criminal concealment.