Eiffel Tower Closure Follows Staff Protest
The Eiffel Tower was temporarily closed on Monday after employees protested allegations that female staff members were asked to move away from their workstations during a private visit by a Hindu religious delegation linked to BAPS, or Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha.
The visit took place on Saturday and involved around 100 people associated with BAPS. The delegation was in France for events connected with the inauguration of a Hindu temple near Paris.
According to union representatives, female employees were allegedly asked to leave areas where they were working as members of the delegation passed through. Male employees were reportedly asked to take their positions instead.
Diane Davoine, a CGT union representative, said the incident led to growing tensions among employees over the weekend. Workers gathered on Monday to discuss the matter with management and demand assurances that female employees would not be treated differently because of their gender.
The meeting delayed the Eiffel Tower’s opening. Signs at the landmark said the opening had been postponed for operational reasons.
Management Acknowledges Controversy
The Eiffel Tower’s operator, Société d’Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel (SETE), acknowledged that the visiting delegation had requested arrangements intended to limit interactions with women.
SETE said such conditions should not have been accepted. The operator’s president, Ariel Weil, said the company would investigate what happened and determine what action should follow.
Union representatives welcomed the opportunity to raise the issue, arguing that workplace decisions should not result in female employees being sidelined on the basis of their gender.
Davoine said management had apologised to staff following the incident.
The controversy has therefore focused not only on the private visit itself but also on how workplace arrangements were handled by the Eiffel Tower’s management.
BAPS Denies Knowing About Staff Restrictions
BAPS disputed the account that female employees were asked to leave their positions.
In a statement posted on X, the organisation said the visit had been coordinated with Eiffel Tower management. It said the delegation had been scheduled at the beginning of regular opening hours in an effort to reduce disruption to other visitors.
BAPS said it was not aware of any situation in which female employees had been asked to leave their workstations or visitors had been prevented from entering the monument.
The organisation nevertheless expressed regret over the controversy and apologised to anyone who may have felt hurt or inconvenienced.
BAPS said it remained committed to mutual respect and service and that it took the concerns raised about the incident seriously.
Paris Authorities Call For Investigation
The incident has also drawn criticism from senior French officials.
Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire said employees’ concerns were legitimate and called for the circumstances surrounding the incident to be fully clarified. He said gender equality must be respected across Paris, including at major public landmarks.
Grégoire said an investigation would be launched as soon as possible to establish what happened and why the arrangements were allowed.
Yaël Braun-Pivet, president of France’s National Assembly, also criticised the reported treatment of female workers. She said welcoming foreign visitors should not require France to compromise its principles of equality.
Her comments reflected the wider political sensitivity surrounding the allegations, particularly because the Eiffel Tower is one of France’s most recognisable public symbols.
BAPS Temple Inaugurated Near Paris
The controversy came shortly after BAPS inaugurated its first major Hindu temple in France near Paris.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the inauguration ceremony on Sunday. During the event, he said the temple would promote India’s cultural heritage and human values while strengthening ties between India and France.
The Eiffel Tower incident is separate from the temple inauguration, but its timing has brought additional attention to the visit by the religious delegation.
For now, SETE’s investigation is expected to establish how the visit was organised, whether female employees were actually instructed to step aside and who made any such request.
The episode has also renewed discussion in France about gender equality in workplaces and the limits of accommodating private visitors at major public institutions.
