In brief
The Eiffel Tower was shut on Monday when staff walked out after women were told to move for a delegation of the BAPS Hindu group that visited the landmark. The workers accused the management of turning a routine visit into a sexist act, leading to an apology from SETE and a call for gender equality. SETE has declared that the exclusion of women violated its values, while political figures from the mayor to Marine Le Pen condemned the incident. The EU and French unions have called for investigations, and the event highlights tensions over how religious visitor requests are handled in historical sites.
Eiffel Tower shut by staff protest after women moved for religious visit
The Eiffel Tower was closed on Monday after staff walked out in protest over female workers being removed to accommodate a delegation of the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS). The incident was reported by Reuters, citing union representative Diane Davoine.
A delegation of about 100 people linked to the BAPS group visited the landmark on Saturday. Staff were told a woman to move out of her workplace to make room for a man, sparking anger among female employees.
SETE, the company that runs the monument, confirmed that the group had requested the visit in a manner that would limit "interactions with women". The firm rejected the conditions, stating they were "not in line with SETE's values" and violated principles of equality between men and women.
SETE president Ariel Weil said, "It is clearly not an acceptable practice. I restate the Eiffel Tower's commitment to republican values and to the equality of men and women." The BBC has reached out to the Confederation of General Workers (CGT) for comment.
The incident followed BAPS’s consecration of its first major temple in France and there were calls for investigation from the mayor of Paris and from national leaders, including Marine Le Pen and former Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, stressing that no culture or religion can dictate a woman’s presence.
