Eiffel Tower closed as staff strike over sidelined female workers
The Eiffel Tower closed after staff staged a walkout protesting instructions that sidelined female employees during a private visit by a BAPS delegation.
The Eiffel Tower closed after staff initiated a snap strike over directives that required female employees to step aside and make themselves invisible during a private visit by a Hindu religious delegation. Workers at the Paris landmark revolted against operational instructions issued during a tour by members of the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha spiritual movement, according to primary reporting.
The controversy unfolded surrounding events connected to the inauguration of the spiritual group's first major temple in the Paris suburbs. Union representatives reported that female employees of the landmark and its contractors were instructed to withdraw from their posts, avoid crossing specific areas, and allow male colleagues to take over their positions while the delegation toured the monument. Staff members described feeling humiliated and shocked by instructions that effectively sidelined women because of their sex.
Media additions
Operating company Société d'Exploitation de la tour Eiffel acknowledged that the delegation had requested arrangements designed to limit interactions with women. SETE president Ariel Weil stated that management made an error in accepting such conditions and vowed that the company would accept the full consequences of the incident. The operating body reiterated its commitment to republican values and gender equality following widespread internal backlash.
| Entity | Stance / Action Reported | Official Response |
|---|---|---|
| Eiffel Tower Staff / Unions | Staged a walkout, closed the monument, and held meetings to demand that women never face similar treatment. | Condemned professional instructions that sidelined female employees and rendered them invisible. |
| SETE Management | Admitted that delegation requests to limit interactions with women should never have been accepted. | Promised to face consequences and reaffirmed adherence to republican equality principles. |
| BAPS Delegation | Arranged a private visit at the start of normal opening hours for a group of approximately 100 people. | Denied that access was denied to anyone, while offering sincere apologies for any pain or inconvenience caused. |
Political leaders across the French political spectrum condemned the operational directives. Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire backed the employees' grievances and announced that an investigation would be launched as soon as possible. National Assembly president Yaël Braun-Pivet refused to accept that women should be told to step aside to meet the demands of foreign visitors, emphasizing that welcoming others never requires abandoning domestic principles. Similar condemnations came from equality minister Aurore Berge, far-right figure Marine Le Pen, and centrist politician Gabriel Attal, who insisted that no religion or belief can dictate the place of women in France.
In response to the mounting outcry, BAPS released a statement clarifying that the visit was coordinated with monument teams at the start of standard opening hours solely to manage the logistics of a large delegation without disrupting other visitors. The spiritual group maintained that, to the best of its knowledge, no individual was denied access, but offered apologies to anyone offended or inconvenienced by the resulting situation.
Staff representatives confirmed that the monument would reopen as normal, resuming standard operations for visitors following the single-day closure.
