The Eiffel Tower was temporarily closed on Monday after employees staged a protest over allegations that female staff members were asked to move away from certain areas during a private visit by a Hindu religious delegation.
The controversy relates to a visit by around 100 people associated with BAPS (Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha) on Saturday. The incident has triggered anger among employees and drawn criticism from senior French politicians.
According to union representatives, female employees were asked to leave their workstations as members of the delegation passed through, with male employees taking their places.
“As the delegation passed through, women were asked to leave their workstations so that men could take their places,” union representative Diane Davoine told Reuters.
The delegation was in France for celebrations linked to the inauguration of a Hindu temple in the Paris suburbs.
Staff Protest Delays Eiffel Tower Opening
Davoine said tensions among employees increased over the weekend, prompting staff members to hold a meeting on Monday morning.
“Tensions mounted over the weekend, so this morning, the employees decided to meet: first, to open a dialogue with management, and second, to ensure that women are never treated this way at the company again,” she said.
The meeting delayed the opening of the Eiffel Tower.
Signs displayed at the monument informed visitors: “The opening of the Eiffel Tower is delayed for operational reasons.”
Davoine said management later apologised to employees over the incident.
BAPS Says It Was Unaware of Women Being Asked to Leave
BAPS said the delegation’s visit had been coordinated with Eiffel Tower authorities to minimise disruption and maintain normal access for other visitors.
In a statement posted on X, the organisation said the visit by the large delegation had been scheduled in consultation with Eiffel Tower management at the beginning of regular opening hours in an effort to reduce inconvenience to the public.
BAPS said it was unaware of any situation in which female employees were asked to leave their workstations or visitors were denied access to the monument during the visit.
The organisation, however, expressed regret over the controversy and apologised to anyone who may have felt hurt or inconvenienced.
It added that it remained committed to the principles of mutual respect and service to others and said it was taking the concerns raised over the incident seriously.
Paris Mayor Orders Investigation
Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grgoire ordered an investigation into the allegations, saying the concerns raised by workers were justified and required urgent attention.
In a post on X, Grgoire acknowledged the anger expressed by Eiffel Tower employees and said their frustration was legitimate.
“It is unacceptable that such conditions could be tolerated,” he wrote, adding that the alleged circumstances did not reflect either his values or those the Eiffel Tower should represent.
He stressed that everyone should be able to work and move freely without discrimination on the basis of gender.
Grgoire said equality between women and men must be respected everywhere in Paris, including at the city’s most iconic landmarks.
“It is essential that the circumstances that led to this mobilisation are fully clarified,” he said, adding that an investigation would be launched as quickly as possible.
He also pledged to ensure that gender equality is upheld across the city “without exception”.
Trade Union Condemns Alleged Instructions
The CGT trade union also criticised the incident, condemning what it described as “workplace instructions that led to female employees being sidelined, replaced and rendered invisible on the basis of their gender”.
The Eiffel Tower’s operator, Societe d’Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel (SETE), acknowledged that the visiting delegation had requested arrangements aimed at limiting “interactions with women”.
The operator admitted that “these conditions should not have been accepted”.
However, SETE did not publicly explain why the visiting delegation wanted interactions with female employees to be limited.
SETE President Ariel Weil said the company would investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident.
“We are going to shed light on what happened, and we will draw the necessary conclusions,” Weil told Agence France-Presse.
French National Assembly President Reacts
The controversy also prompted a strong response from Yael Braun-Pivet, president of France’s National Assembly.
“I refuse to accept that women should be told to step aside to meet the demands of foreign visitors,” she wrote on X.
“Welcoming others never means giving up our values. In France, women are fully present in public life. No one tells them to become invisible,” she added.
BAPS Opens First Major Hindu Temple in France
BAPS inaugurated its first major Hindu temple in France near Paris on Sunday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was also present at the inauguration ceremony.
Addressing the gathering, Modi said the temple would carry India’s ancient ideas and human values to France while helping strengthen cultural ties between the two countries.
