Omanghana
The Eiffel Tower was closed to visitors after employees staged a walkout to protest the removal and sidelining of female staff during a private visit by a Hindu delegation.
The dispute followed an early private tour of the Paris landmark on Saturday by about 100 people associated with the Hindu socio-spiritual organization Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS).
The delegation was in France to attend the inauguration of the first major BAPS Swaminarayan temple near Paris.
According to employee unions, female workers were instructed to leave their posts, remain out of sight or allow male colleagues to replace them while the delegation moved through the monument. Some women were reportedly told not to enter or cross areas along the group’s route.
The unions strongly condemned the arrangements, saying the instructions caused female employees to be “sidelined, replaced and made invisible because of their sex.”
Workers gathered on Monday morning to demand accountability and assurances that similar measures would not be permitted in the future. The industrial action resulted in the Eiffel Tower being closed to the public for the day.
The Eiffel Tower’s operating company, SETE, acknowledged that the visiting group had requested arrangements limiting interactions with women because of specific religious monastic vows.
Management admitted that accepting the conditions was a serious mistake that conflicted with France’s republican values and principles of gender equality. The company formally apologized to affected employees and launched an internal investigation into how the request was approved.
The incident also prompted criticism from political leaders. Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire described management’s decision as unacceptable and confirmed that an official investigation would be conducted.
He stressed that public institutions must not compromise the principle of equality between men and women.
National Assembly President Yaël Braun-Pivet also criticized the arrangement, declaring that women are fully present in French public life and should never be asked to make themselves invisible.
The Paris branch of BAPS expressed regret over any distress caused by the visit. The organization said it took the concerns seriously, supported universal respect and had arranged the tour around opening hours to avoid disrupting members of the public.
Source: Omanghana
