The Eiffel Tower was shut on Monday after staff staged a strike following allegations that female employees were asked to leave certain workplaces during a visit by a delegation associated with the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS).
The incident has triggered a political and public debate in France, with the Eiffel Tower’s operator acknowledging that conditions reportedly imposed during the visit were unacceptable.
According to Reuters, union representative Diane Davoine said some female employees were asked to leave their posts and were replaced by men in certain positions while the delegation was at the monument.
She said women were also instructed not to cross certain areas during the delegation’s visit, describing the situation as humiliating for some employees.
Why did Eiffel Tower staff go on strike?
Davoine said tensions had built over the weekend before employees decided to meet on Monday.
The workers wanted to open discussions with management and ensure that female employees would not be treated in a similar manner again, she said.
The allegations relate to a delegation visiting the Eiffel Tower as part of activities linked to BAPS, a Hindu spiritual organisation.
The reported restrictions on interactions between the delegation and female employees became the central point of the dispute.
Eiffel Tower operator calls conditions unacceptable
Société d’Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel (SETE), which operates the monument, said the delegation had asked for interactions with women to be limited.
SETE president Ariel Weil told AFP that such conditions should not have been accepted and reaffirmed the company’s commitment to equality between men and women.
The dispute subsequently prompted calls for an investigation into how the visit was organised and what instructions were given to staff.
BAPS issues clarification
BAPS’s Paris temple said the visit had been coordinated in advance with Eiffel Tower teams during the monument’s opening hours.
In a statement posted on X, the organisation said it was not aware of anyone being denied access to the Eiffel Tower.
BAPS also expressed regret to anyone who may have been hurt or inconvenienced by the situation and said it remained committed to “universal values of mutual respect and service to others.”
The organisation’s statement came after its delegation’s visit following the consecration of its first major temple in France on Sunday in the Paris suburbs.
Paris mayor orders investigation
Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire said he would investigate the circumstances surrounding the visit.
Grégoire said the anger expressed by Eiffel Tower employees was legitimate and stressed that equality between women and men must apply throughout the city.
The controversy has also drawn reactions from French politicians.
Far-right leader Marine Le Pen said France would not accept restrictions on the presence of women, while former prime minister Gabriel Attal condemned the reported treatment of female workers.
The dispute remains focused on what instructions were issued during the BAPS delegation’s visit and how those arrangements were approved by the Eiffel Tower’s management.
