Paris, France: The Eiffel Tower was shut to visitors on Monday, September 7, after staff went on strike over allegations that female employees were asked to step away from their posts during a private visit by around 100 people linked to the Hindu organisation Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS).
The visit took place on Saturday, September 5, amid celebrations surrounding the inauguration of BAPS’ first major Hindu temple in France. Staff representatives said women were moved away from workstations, with some reportedly replaced by male colleagues, after the delegation requested arrangements limiting interactions with women.
The Eiffel Tower’s operator, SETE, acknowledged that such conditions should not have been accepted and said they were inconsistent with gender equality. Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire ordered an investigation, while National Assembly President Yaël Braun-Pivet and Equality Minister Aurore Bergé criticised the reported treatment.
BAPS said it took the concerns “very seriously”, denied that anyone was knowingly denied access to the monument and apologised for any hurt or inconvenience caused. Following discussions between staff and management, the tower is expected to reopen normally on Tuesday, September 8.
Women Asked To Step Aside
The controversy centres on the private visit by a BAPS delegation of around 100 people on Saturday. According to union representatives, female Eiffel Tower employees were allegedly instructed to leave their regular workstations as the delegation moved through the monument.
Diane Davoine, a staff union representative, told Reuters that women were asked to leave their positions so that men could take their places. Workers subsequently condemned what they described as “professional instructions” that sidelined, replaced and made female employees invisible because of their sex.
The issue quickly became a workplace equality dispute. Employees held a meeting on Monday and went on strike, resulting in the landmark remaining closed throughout the day. The Eiffel Tower, which attracts nearly seven million visitors annually, displayed a notice citing operational reasons for the closure. For staff, the concern was not simply about a private group’s religious preferences, but whether those preferences could result in female workers being treated differently while carrying out their jobs.
SETE, the company operating the monument, acknowledged that the delegation had requested that the visit be organised to limit “interactions with women”. SETE president Ariel Weil said the conditions should not have been accepted and reaffirmed the Eiffel Tower’s commitment to republican values, gender equality and secularism. He said the company would establish what happened and draw the necessary conclusions.
Officials Demand Clarity
The incident has drawn a strong political response in France. Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire said the employees’ anger was legitimate and described the reported arrangements as unacceptable. He said gender equality “will never stop at the foot” of France’s historic monuments and ordered an investigation to establish how the situation occurred.
Yaël Braun-Pivet, president of France’s National Assembly, also criticised the reported treatment, saying she would not accept women being told to step aside to meet the demands of foreign visitors. “Welcoming others never means giving up our values,” she said, stressing that women are fully present in French public life.
Equality Minister Aurore Bergé was similarly categorical, saying France does not ask women to make themselves invisible and that no religious doctrine is above the laws of the Republic. Other political figures, including Marine Le Pen and former prime minister Gabriel Attal, also criticised the reported restrictions, underlining that cultural or religious beliefs should not dictate women’s place in French public life.
BAPS Apologises, Clarifies Visit
BAPS has acknowledged the concerns but offered a different account of the episode. In a statement issued on Monday, the organisation said it understood the concerns raised by Eiffel Tower employees and was taking them seriously. It explained that, because of the size of the delegation, the visit had been coordinated with Eiffel Tower staff and scheduled at the beginning of normal opening hours to minimise disruption to other visitors.
BAPS also said that, “to the best of our knowledge”, nobody was prevented from accessing the Eiffel Tower. At the same time, it offered “sincere apologies” to anyone who may have been hurt or inconvenienced and reiterated its commitment to “mutual respect and service to others”.
The episode occurred shortly after BAPS inaugurated its first traditional Hindu mandir in France at Bussy-Saint-Georges, near Paris. The organisation has been holding a 13-day Festival of Culture around the inauguration, with religious and cultural programmes involving its spiritual leader Mahant Swami Maharaj.
The Eiffel Tower was expected to reopen normally on Tuesday following discussions between management and staff. However, the Paris investigation will now examine how the arrangements were made, who authorised them and how the reported instructions concerning female employees were implemented.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
The Eiffel Tower dispute is a reminder that cultural and religious diversity can coexist with workplace equality only when dialogue is built on mutual respect. Religious practices deserve understanding, but that understanding should not come at the cost of making employees feel excluded, humiliated or unequal in their own workplace. At the same time, allegations should be allowed to be examined fairly rather than becoming fuel for hostility towards an entire religious community.
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