Eiffel Tower shuts after women staff sidelined during BAPS group visit

Eiffel Tower staff struck after a BAPS-linked delegation visit led to women workers being moved aside. The row sparked political outrage in France, an apology from BAPS and a formal investigation.

In Short

• Staff walked out after female employees were shifted during Saturday's delegation visit
• SETE admitted organisers accepted requests to reduce interactions with women
• Unions said some women left posts while men replaced them

The Eiffel Tower was closed on Monday after staff went on strike over the reported treatment of female employees during a visit by a Hindu religious group linked to BAPS. The company that runs the landmark said the delegation had asked for the visit to be organised in a way that would "limit interactions with women", and admitted that "these conditions should not have been accepted".

The incident, which took place on Saturday during a visit by around 100 people linked to BAPS (Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha), has led to political criticism in France and an apology from the BAPS Hindu temple in Paris. The site, which receives nearly seven million visitors a year, is due to reopen on Tuesday after a meeting between staff and management.

Diane Davoine, a union representative, told French television that female workers had been "moved away from their workstations as the delegation passed by". In a statement issued by the CGT trade union, staff condemned "workplace instructions that led to female employees being sidelined, replaced and rendered invisible on the basis of their gender".

According to the statement, "Some were asked to leave their posts and withdraw to other areas. In some posts they were replaced by men." It added: "And all female employees were instructed not to go through or cross certain areas while the delegation was present." Eiffel Tower employees also condemned what they described as "professional instructions that led to female employees being sidelined, replaced and made invisible because of their sex".

SETE, the company that runs the tower, said the Hindu delegation had requested that the visit be organised so as to "limit interactions with women", and acknowledged that "these conditions should not have been accepted".

Paris Mayor Emmanuel Gregoire said the staff's anger was legitimate and that an investigation would be launched. On X, he said, "I am taking note of the anger expressed by the employees of the Eiffel Tower, and I want to tell them that their discontent is legitimate." He added, "It is not acceptable that such conditions can be tolerated. These are neither my values, nor those that the Eiffel Tower should uphold, where everyone - regardless of gender - should be able to move about and act freely, without distinction between women and men. It is urgent that full light be shed on the facts that led to this mobilisation."

Gregoire further said, "Equality between women and men will never stop at the foot of our historical monuments, nor anywhere in this city. It must be applied everywhere, for everyone. I will ensure this, everywhere and without exception. An investigation will be launched as quickly as possible."

The BAPS Hindu temple in Paris issued an apology and said it understood the concerns raised over the incident, adding that it took them "very seriously". It said the visit was organised in coordination with Eiffel Tower teams at the start of normal opening hours to minimise disruption to other visitors.

"To our knowledge, at no time was access to the Eiffel Tower denied to anyone," it said in a statement on X, while offering "our sincere apologies to anyone who may have been hurt or inconvenienced by this situation". BAPS also said it was "deeply committed to the universal values of mutual respect and service to others".

According to its website, BAPS is a "socio-spiritual Hindu faith with its roots in the Vedas", founded on "practical spirituality". It says a million or more followers are part of its global community, which includes more than 1,300 temples across North America, Europe, Africa, West Asia, India and the Asia-Pacific region. BAPS reportedly consecrated its first major temple in France on Sunday, near Paris.

The incident has also drawn criticism from several senior French politicians. National Assembly President Yael Braun-Pivet said, "I refuse to allow women to be compelled to step aside in order to meet the demands of foreign visitors. Welcoming others never means renouncing our values. In France, women fully occupy public spaces. No one dictates to them that they must become invisible there."

French Minister for Gender Equality and the Fight Against Discrimination Aurore Berge called the incident "unacceptable" and said equality between women and men is a non-negotiable principle in France. She said, "In France, we do not ask women to erase themselves. No dogma, no religion is above the laws of the Republic." Former prime minister Gabriel Attal also criticised the episode, saying, "In France, no culture, no belief, no worship, nothing nor anyone can dictate to women their place. Full support to the teams mobilising to defend our Eiffel Tower, beacon of freedom and emancipation."

The strike shut one of France's best-known landmarks for the day, after staff protested over the treatment of women during the BAPS-linked visit. Management has admitted the conditions should not have been accepted, BAPS has apologised, and French authorities have said an investigation will establish what happened.

With PTI Inputs

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