The Eiffel Tower in Paris was closed to visitors on Monday after staff staged a protest over reports that female employees were asked to move away from certain areas during a visit by members of a Hindu religious organisation. The closure came after employees raised serious objections to the treatment of women colleagues during the visit, prompting management to shut the iconic monument for the day.
The controversy stems from a visit by around 100 members of BAPS (Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha) to the Eiffel Tower on Saturday. The same day, the organisation also held a cultural event on the Seine river. According to staff accounts, some female employees were told to leave their designated work spots during the group’s visit, with male employees brought in to replace them in certain locations. Staff further alleged that female employees were barred from entering some areas where the group was present.
SETE, the company that operates and manages the Eiffel Tower, confirmed the allegations, stating that the group had requested the visit be arranged with minimal interaction with women. The company said it was shocked that instructions were issued for female staff to effectively make themselves invisible during the tour, adding that some women were reassigned away from their duties and replaced by male colleagues in specific spots.
SETE was unequivocal in its response, stating that such conditions should never have been agreed to in the first place, as they run contrary to France’s policy of equal rights for men and women. SETE president Ariel Weil criticised the incident and reaffirmed the tower’s commitment to the principle of equality between women and men. The Eiffel Tower, which draws around 7 million visitors annually, remained closed for the entirety of Monday because of the row, though it is expected to reopen on Tuesday.
BAPS also issued a response to the controversy, saying the matter had come to its attention and was being treated seriously by the organisation. The group clarified that no religion or belief system is above the laws of France, seeking to distance itself from the allegations while acknowledging the seriousness of the issue.