Eiffel Tower Reopens After Strike Over Female Staff During Hindu Group Visit
The Eiffel Tower in Paris reopened on Tuesday after a one-day staff strike triggered by a controversy surrounding a private visit by a Hindu religious delegation linked to the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha, or BAPS.
The dispute began after a delegation of about 100 people visited the landmark over the weekend. Eiffel Tower employees said female workers were moved away from their posts and instructed to avoid certain areas while the group was present.
Staff described the instructions as discriminatory, saying women had effectively been sidelined, replaced by male colleagues in some positions and made “invisible” during the visit. The allegations prompted employees to walk out on Monday, forcing the Eiffel Tower to close for the entire day.
The tower’s operator, SETE, acknowledged that the delegation had requested arrangements designed to limit interactions with women. The company said such conditions should never have been accepted because they conflicted with its principles of gender equality and its institutional values.
BAPS has denied that it intended to exclude women from the Eiffel Tower. The organisation said the visit was coordinated with tower management because of the size of the delegation and the desire to minimise disruption to other visitors.
BAPS nevertheless issued an apology for the controversy, saying it took the concerns seriously and was sorry for any pain or inconvenience caused. It also said that, to its knowledge, nobody had been denied access to the monument.
The incident has triggered a strong political reaction in France, where gender equality and secular republican principles are central to public life. Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire has ordered an investigation into what happened.
French officials sharply criticised the reported treatment of female employees. National Assembly President Yaël Braun-Pivet said welcoming foreign visitors should not require France to compromise its principles of equality.
The controversy comes just days after the inauguration of a major BAPS Hindu temple near Paris. The visit to the Eiffel Tower was part of activities surrounding the temple opening and the organisation’s wider events in France.
The Eiffel Tower, which receives nearly seven million visitors each year, is now operating again. However, the episode has opened a wider debate in France over religious accommodation, workplace equality and whether private visitors should ever be allowed to impose gender-based conditions on public-facing staff.
