Eiffel Tower Shuts As Women Staff Protest Discrimination During Hindu Delegation’s Visit

The Eiffel Tower was temporarily shut on Monday after employees staged a walkout to protest the alleged sidelining of female staff during a private visit by a Hindu religious delegation linked to the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS).

The controversy centres on a private BAPS delegation of around 100 people that visited the Paris landmark on Saturday. According to union representatives, female employees were instructed to leave their workstations as the delegation moved through the monument, with male colleagues taking their places.

Diane Davoine, a representative of the CGT trade union, said women were asked to move away from their assigned positions so that men could replace them. The CGT condemned the arrangement as workplace instructions that resulted in female employees being “sidelined, replaced, and rendered invisible” because of their gender.

The Eiffel Tower’s operating company, Société d’Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel (SETE), acknowledged that the delegation had requested the visit be organised to minimise interactions with female employees. However, the company said such conditions “should not have been accepted” and apologised to staff.

The dispute led workers to gather at the landmark on Monday, delaying its public opening. Notices at the site cited “operational reasons” for the disruption. Employees demanded accountability and assurances that similar arrangements would not be permitted in future.

The incident has triggered strong political criticism in France. Yaël Braun-Pivet, president of the National Assembly, said she refused to accept women being asked to step aside to satisfy the demands of foreign visitors. She stressed that welcoming visitors should not require France to abandon its values of equality.

Emmanuel Grégoire, Paris’ deputy mayor, also condemned the arrangement and announced an immediate investigation into how it was approved. He said the reported conditions were inconsistent with the values the Eiffel Tower should uphold.

The visit took place amid events linked to the opening of a BAPS Hindu temple near Paris, which was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Following the controversy, BAPS Paris said it understood the concerns raised and was taking them seriously. The organisation apologised for any pain or inconvenience caused, saying the early morning visit had been coordinated with Eiffel Tower management because of the size of the delegation and was intended to minimise disruption to other visitors.

BAPS also said that, to its knowledge, no one was denied access to the Eiffel Tower. It reiterated its commitment to universal values of mutual respect and service to others.

SETE and city authorities are conducting a review of the incident. The inquiry is expected to examine how the arrangements were approved and reinforce policies against gender-based discrimination at the landmark.