The Eiffel Tower was closed to visitors on Monday after employees protested over allegations that female staff were asked to step out of sight during a private visit by a Hindu religious delegation linked to the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS).
The incident took place on Saturday, when a delegation of around 100 people linked to BAPS visited the Paris landmark during festivities surrounding the inauguration of a Hindu temple near Paris. According to union representatives, female employees were asked to leave their workstations as the delegation passed through, with male colleagues taking their places at some posts.
“As the delegation passed through, women were asked to leave their workstations so that men could take their places,” Diane Davoine, a union representative, told Reuters.
Workers said some female employees were asked to withdraw to other areas, while others were instructed not to enter or cross certain parts of the monument while the delegation was present.
The employees held a meeting on Monday to discuss the incident, seek dialogue with management and ensure that women would not be treated in the same way again. Davoine said management had apologised to staff.
Paris Orders Investigation
Paris Mayor Emmanuel Gregoire said an investigation would be launched “as soon as possible” and backed the employees’ concerns.
“It is urgent that all light be shed on the facts that led to this protest,” Gregoire wrote on X.
The Eiffel Tower displayed a notice saying its opening had been delayed for “operational reasons” as employees gathered. The monument was closed for the day, with a staff representative saying it would reopen normally on Tuesday.
The controversy has also drawn criticism from senior French politicians.
Yael Braun-Pivet, president of France’s National Assembly, said she would not accept women being asked to step aside to accommodate foreign visitors.
“Welcoming others never means giving up our values,” she wrote on X, adding that women in France should not be told to become invisible.
French Equality Minister Aurore Berge also condemned the incident, saying that no religion or belief could take precedence over French law.
Centrist politician Gabriel Attal said that no culture, belief or religion could dictate to women what their place should be.
BAPS Visit Under Scrutiny
The private Eiffel Tower visit came amid celebrations surrounding the inauguration of BAPS’ first major Hindu temple in France, located near Paris.
BAPS is a Hindu spiritual organisation associated with the Swaminarayan tradition. Its representatives were in France for events linked to the temple inauguration.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the temple’s inauguration on Sunday. He said the temple would promote India’s ancient ideas and human values in France while strengthening cultural ties between India and France.
The incident has placed the circumstances surrounding the private visit under scrutiny.
Spokespeople for BAPS and SETE, the company operating the Eiffel Tower, did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.
The Paris investigation is expected to establish how the instructions concerning female employees were issued and who was responsible for them.
