Scottish Parliament votes against Reform push for burka ban

The Scottish Parliament has voted down Reform UK’s push to ban the burka.

The party called for the Scottish Government to look at restricting full-face coverings in public places, including the niqab and burka which are worn by some Muslim women.

Reform suggested the move could improve “public safety, individual liberty and community cohesion”.

The debate has proven highly controversial at Holyrood, with First Minister John Swinney accusing Reform of bringing racism into the Parliament.

MSPs backed a Government amendment that said it was “not for Parliament to legislate for what women choose to wear” and that parliamentarians should “lead by example in rejecting the language and actions of those who seek to divide Scotland’s communities in person and online”.

The amendment passed by 92 to 15 votes with eight abstentions.

Parliamentarians previously debated Reform’s calls for face coverings to be banned in October, but the members’ business debate – the type that does not get a vote – was cut short after Holyrood opted not to extend it.

During the debate on Wednesday, MSPs rounded on Reform to accuse the party of racism.

Helen McDade, who brought forward the motion, said face coverings were already banned across Europe, including in France, Belgium, Denmark, Germany and Italy.

She said people across the country had seen videos of masked men in Glasgow causing “fear and mayhem”.

But she added: “Even in circumstances where there is no criminality, many of us may feel fearful, surrounded by people whose faces we cannot see.”

The Mid Scotland and Fife MSP spoke about her time campaigning in the Gorton and Denton by-election where she said she had seen a number of women in burkas.

Calling the area a “ghetto”, she added: “If I were a lesbian holding my hands with my partner, I would not walk down there at dusk.”

Reform MSP Thomas Kerr reiterated his pledge to be a “fox in the henhouse” at Holyrood.

“I don’t care if it’s a balaclava or a burka, it should be banned,” he said, before adding that “both of which had no place in modern Scotland”.

Ms Oswald, the community safety minister, said to Ms McDade “it is none of your business what women wear”.

She criticised Reform for “singling out” the dress of some Muslim women, noting that balaclavas were not mentioned in the motion.

She said: “The motion tells us exactly what they are interested in, and that is telling women, specifically Muslim women, what to wear.

“Presiding officer, I want to be crystal clear here: this motion, this debate, which, after all, they already held here just a couple of weeks ago, is deliberately divisive, racist, Islamophobic and designed to foster hostility.

“It is an attack on Muslim women.

“It is a disgraceful way for an alleged political party to conduct themselves, and they should be ashamed of themselves.”

Ms Oswald accused Reform UK Scotland of “inciting racial hatred”.

The minister also accused the party of “using the protection of women and girls as a cover for racism”.

Tory MSP Stephen Kerr said some Scots were afraid because of those covering their faces.

He said police did not currently have enough powers to clamp down on people engaging in criminal activity covering their face.

Mr Kerr said his comments were focused on his own amendments, which were focused on the link between face coverings and crime and did not mention niqabs or burkas.

Liberal Democrat MSP Yi-pei Chou Turvey accused Reform of bringing “tripe” to the Parliament in a bid to get publicity.

Pauline McNeill said Scottish Labour did not back banning the burka as she accused Reform MSPs of “stirring up hostility”.

The Glasgow MSP said she backed police having powers over those who used face coverings to intimidate people, but said Muslim women were not part of that group.

She said she hoped the debate could focus on the use of face coverings used in crime along with the use of e-bikes.

The Greens branded the calls to ban the burka “narrow-minded”, “hatemongering” and “racist”.

Maggie Chapman said: “(The motion) specifically targets people of colour, women with a specific cultural background or religious belief.

“The motion specifically mentions the burka and niqab, not other items such as masks, balaclavas, or motorbike helmets.

“These are items of clothing worn almost exclusively by women of colour.

“Certainly, by women who practise their Islamic faith in this particular way.”

She said there was no evidence to suggest that religious face coverings were linked to crime.

Ms Chapman said that in France, where such coverings were banned, the evidence showed women who wear religious clothing had experienced an increase in verbal abuse, public harassment, and physical assault, “such as having their veils forcibly pulled off or being spat on, making women less safe”.